Shiki Karneaval
by Salt-the-Catgirl
Summary: Gareki passes his tests and returns to the Second Ship of Circus as a new member of the organization. Along with Yogi, Nai, and Tsukumo he is sent out to investigate a Varuga at a laboratory. When Nai hit's a button on the lab's main computer, they find themselves teleported somewhere else. (Full Summary Inside)
1. 1 - Where Are We?

_**Note From** **Author:**_ Yes, I'm still working on Another Way Part 3, but this was something I had to write. Personally, I never favored crossovers, believing they had to have a very specific purpose to make sense, so hopefully I can get that right at least. I'm not sure how long this story will run for, but I'll try not to let it get in the way of finishing my others. Also, please keep in mind that I only know the Anime version of both series and what I've read on the wikis and TV tropes pages, and for Shiki I only know the TV episodes, I haven't seen the two OVA. Oh, and yeah, it won't be in the forefront, but there will be some NatsuTohru and GarekYogi shipping.

_**Synopsis:**_ Gareki passes his tests and returns to the Second Ship of Circus as a new member of the organization. Along with Yogi, Nai, and Tsukumo he is sent out to investigate a Varuga at a laboratory. When Nai hits a button on the lab's main computer, they find themselves teleported somewhere else. Meanwhile in Sotoba, Natsuno is pleading for Tohru to run away with him, only to find himself being attacked a second time. When Tohru wakes from his frenzy, he finds himself standing over an unconscious Natsuno in an unfamiliar place, and having little time to find shelter before the sun rises. When Natsuno recovers the next night, to find himself alone, several cases of mistaken identity occur under the moonlight of this strange new place. Will either group ever find their way back to where they came from? Will either group actually want to? Will Natsuno and Gareki get along, or tear each other's throats out?

_**Shiki Karneval**_

_**Chapter 1: Where Are We?**_

Hirato smiled as he welcomed the dark haired teen back onto the Second Fighting Ship of Circus. It had been some time since Gareki had gone to school to become a member of Circus, but he had done exactly what he'd set out to do, he was now an official member of the government defense organization Circus. "Welcome back, Gareki-Kun," he said with a tip of his top hat, "I see you've finally returned to become a Child of the Second Ship of Circus."

"I'm home," Gareki grumbled, looking around as the ship's robotic sheep gathered around him for his voice recognition. Gareki tried not to smile, but somehow, this phrase just seemed to fit with this place. It felt… normal. His eyes shifted around as he realized none of the others had come to greet him. Hirato shook Gareki's hand and congratulated him. It didn't take long just from listening to Hirato speak for Gareki to realize what was going on. The others weren't here to greet him, because Hirato hadn't told them he was coming, just as he hadn't told them when he left that it was to train to become a member of Circus. "_Shitty Four-Eyes,_" Gareki thought, trying his best not to smirk, "_He must have wanted to surprise them._"

Gareki headed to Yogi's room, assuming he'd find the ones he really wanted to see there. Tsukumo-Chan, whom he'd come to view as a sister, Nai whom he'd done his best not to look at as a pet, and… the one person he'd never admit he really wanted to see the most. The one person he'd found himself unexpectedly pining to be near throughout his training, a certain obnoxiously childish twenty-something-year old blonde prince with violet eyes. He hesitated outside Yogi's door, as he had to fight back the flutter he felt in his heart. Would those violet eyes have turned cold toward him in his absence? From what Gareki had figured, none of them would have aged due to the Incure within their ID bracelets.

Gareki opened the door and gave a quiet smirk at the scene before him. Yogi and Nai were in the middle of a pillow fight, while Tsukumo was in a corner, quietly sewing together a doll, trying to avoid the rough-housing boys. "Yep, nothing's changed," he thought to himself.

Nai blinked and turned his sharp red eyes to the door. "Ah! Gareki!" he squeaked happily, jumping off the bed and running to the dark haired teen. Gareki tried not to smile, but it was something he always found so hard to do when looking into the Niji's eyes. Giving the albino hybrid a brief smile, Gareki rubbed the top of the little one's head.

"Wha?" Yogi exclaimed, turning to look at the door. Those violet eyes lit up as bright as they could when they saw the dark haired teen standing there. Before he could move, however, Tsukumo had already put down her sewing and rushed past the bed to welcome Gareki back. Yogi sighed as he watched Gareki interact with the others and he squeezed the pillow in his hand, looking back at the bed. Yogi's urge to jump from the bed and pounce Gareki like he use to was there, and strong, but he remembered how Gareki always acted. "_He probably only came looking for Nai-Chan,_" he thought to himself.

Gareki frowned at the blonde. This wasn't the Yogi he'd come to know. He approached the foot of the bed and scowled at him, crossing his arms. "Hey? Not that I care, but what the hell? You can't even muster a proper hello?" he chided.

Yogi gripped the pillow tighter for a second. Gareki didn't seem to have changed one bit. "GAREKI-KUN!" Yogi exclaimed, leaping off the bed and throwing his arms around him. "Welcome back! Did you miss us?"

THIS was the Yogi Gareki had come to know and love in spite of himself. "Like hell I did," Gareki lied, turning his head away from the blonde, "I just thought I'd say hello." Gareki blinked. "What the…? Hey! You're getting my shirt wet!" he grumbled pushing the blonde away.

"I'm sorry," Yogi said, rubbing a finger under his lachrymose eyes, "I'm just so happy to see you again. You never contacted any of us! I thought you'd forgotten us."

"Who could ever forget someone as obnoxious as you?" Gareki replied. Yogi blinked as Gareki spoke these words. It was quick and fleeting, but the blonde could have sworn he saw a real smile cross the younger boy's face. Gareki wasn't being mean. Gareki was simply being Gareki, and there was a hidden message in those words just now, though Yogi dared not call him on it, almost scared to believe that it was just his own wanton imagination. Nai flinched as his ears picked up on the flux in Gareki and Yogi's heartbeats. Yogi hadn't imagined that smile, Nai could sense the truth in how Gareki felt, too.

"Alright, children," Hirato's voice came from behind. The four 'Children of Circus' as Hirato had now named their little group turned to face their captain. "I'm sure Gareki-Kun's tired from his trip. Give him some time to settle back into his old room and get some rest and a shower. You'll have plenty of time before bed to catch up after supper. Tomorrow, you're going on a mission together."

The four of them stood at attention and nodded. "Yes, sir!" came the unanimous reply.

Gareki welcomed this news, it would be his first official mission as a full fledged member of Circus. It would give him a chance to put all that training into action. Yogi and Nai insisted on helping Gareki unpack. Yogi blushed as he unzipped Gareki's bag and found the Nyanperowna and Niji plushies inside. Yogi blinked in surprise. "_He actually kept them? I thought sure he'd throw them away, especially if someone at the school poked fun at him over it,_" he thought. Pulling the Nyanperowna doll out of the bag, the blonde Lieutenant stopped as he noticed something. He tried to be discrete in his methods, but pulled the plushy close and sniffed at it. It distinctly smelt of Gareki. "_No way!?_" Yogi thought, holding the stuffed cat at arms' length and glancing back over his shoulder toward the dark-haired boy. "_Has he actually been sleeping with Nyanperowna?_"

"What the hell are you grinning at?" Gareki asked, noticing from his peripheral that Yogi was staring at him. "If you're just going to goof off, you can leave." Of course, Gareki knew he wouldn't rid himself of Yogi that easily, not that he even wanted to, but he had to make some sort of comment in order to maintain stability.

Yogi smiled and pounced Gareki, throwing his arms around him, the stuffed cat still in his hands. "GAREKI-KUN! You really did miss us, didn't you?" he exclaimed happily. Nai and Tsukumo ignored Gareki and Yogi, they'd gotten use to the two 'boys' being like that with one another, but Nai could sense there was something much deeper between them, even if he didn't quite understand it.

The next day, the group of four was sent out on their mission. A Varuga had been sighted in a small secluded town, with a large mansion just on the outskirts. It was believed the Varuga was being harbored in the mansion by its creator. As always, the Varuga was to be expunged and any left over information from the creator's lab was to be brought back for evidence and research purposes.

"So this is a typical mission, then?" Gareki inquired, "Should be a piece of cake."

"Gareki, remember, you're a member of Circus now, and your scores were indeed quite good, but Yogi is still the lead officer on this mission," Hirato reminded him, "Don't get too cocky out there."

"You don't have to remind me," Gareki scoffed, crossing his arms. "_**HIM**_ on the other hand…" He shifted his eyes to the blonde with the goofy grin on his face. Hirato and Tsukumo sighed and Nai simply smiled.

"This will be your first mission as an official member of Circus, right, Gareki-Kun?" Yogi asked with his charming boyish smile. Gareki nodded, trying not to make eye contact. If he looked the idiot right in the face, he'd probably blush or smile or both. Yogi's smile got even bigger. "Then let's do our best out there, huh? I look forward to seeing if you're finally able to keep up with me!"

Gareki smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Is that a challenge, Yogi?" He looked over at Nai, and smiled. "You're on!"

The group left the ship, descending to the mansion in question. It was quiet, too quiet. "Aw, not again!?" Yogi whimpered, "Azana-Kun was captured, right? Nobody should have known we were coming."

"Just because Azana was captured, doesn't mean there might not be another leak," Gareki grumbled, "Let's just see if they were careless enough to leave anything behind and get out of here, alright?"

The others nodded in agreement. As always, Nai was clinging close to Gareki, glad to finally be reunited with his best friend. As they searched through the mansion, they found the usual scenario, not a single paper trail, no signs of the Varuga or its creator, it was as if the mansion had been uninhabited for years. Until finally, they found the laboratory. Again, no notes or drugs, only empty tubes and research equipment, and one rather large computer. "Maybe something's on here?" Nai chirped as he reached toward the consol.

"Wait, Nai-Chan!" Tsukumo called out to him.

"Nai, don't go hitting random… buttons," Gareki scolded. Too late, Nai's finger was on a large red button and the little Niji was looking over his shoulder at his comrades, already well aware he had messed up. Tsukumo snatched Nai away from the computer and everyone watched as the screen flickered. Nai covered his ears as the machine began to give off loud beeps. The noises were already loud and annoying to the humans, but to Nai's sensitive ears, it was almost deafening. Suddenly, something malfunctioned and the energy from the machine fed back into itself, forcing it to pop and crackle. The entire group grew wide-eyed hearing this and made the move to pull out and flee. Too late, the computer exploded and the last thing any of them recalled was a blinding bright light.

_**Meanwhile in Sotoba**_

Natsuno threw down the stake and mallet. "That's just playing dirty!" he exasperated as he stared down the blonde eighteen year old standing across from him. For the first time, he got a good look at his friend's eyes. The blonde standing across from him had been his closest, no his only friend since moving to this tiny secluded town. This person should be dead! He had helplessly watched as their dead classmate bit him on the neck, he attended the funeral and watched with baited breath as this very person was lowered into the ground. For the first time since learning his friend had come back the same as that pink haired witch who had killed him, Natsuno Yuuki/Koide got a good look at Tohru Mutou's eyes. They weren't the beautiful brown he'd fallen in love with and come to trust, they were dark black circles with two red glowing lights. Tohru didn't have his beautiful smile which had always made Natsuno feel so safe, but a frown that denoted both fear and worry. "Damn it all! Don't act like the Tohru you used to be! Act like a monster already!" Natsuno sank to his knees. "How dare you call my name when you're like this! Do you even realize what you did to me the other night?" Natsuno's hand wrapped around the puncture wounds in his neck. He wasn't the type to break down and cry, not even in front of Tohru, but he was at his whit's end. "_I can't do it. I thought I could, but I can't, not him!_" the frustrated fifteen-year-old thought to himself, "_No matter how many times I tell myself it's not him… IT really does look and act like my Tohru-Chan._"

Tohru started to approach him but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the younger dark haired boy flinch. "Natsuno, I'm sorry," Tohru said. He could smell Natsuno's fear, he could smell Natsuno's blood, he could smell Natsuno himself. He dared not move any closer for fear of hurting him again. "I didn't want to hurt you, but I was left with no other choice! As a Shiki, I have to feed from human blood, whether I kill or not, but Sunako insists killing is our only way."

"But why me, Tohru!? When you ran from my window the other night, all I could think was how you didn't do anything to deserve coming back as a monster like that. Why of all people did you come to me?" Natsuno asked.

"I didn't choose it, Natsuno!" Tohru replied.

"Don't call me that!" Natsuno scoffed, rising to his feet. "You have no right to call me by that name. You're not the Tohru-Chan I knew."

"You didn't like me calling you by it then, either," Tohru sighed. He closed his eyes and looked away. "I never wanted to hurt you, Natsuno. I never even wanted you to know I'd come back as one of these creatures. If there was a single person in all of Sotoba I wish could have remembered me as I was, you were it. Tatsumi ordered me to come find you." Tohru shifted his eyes toward Natsuno. "I was given a choice, you or my family, Natsuno, but when I saw the look in your eyes, that's why I fled! I didn't want to do it, and I couldn't bring myself to."

"Then why? Why did you bite me?" Natsuno scowled, "If you couldn't bring yourself to do it, then why did you? Why are you back now? Are you here to finish the job? If its for your family, maybe I can understand."

"I did it for them, yes," Tohru sighed, "But it was the only way I could see to save you at the time. Tatsumi-Kun and Megumi had you cornered. If I didn't, they would have. Tatsumi-Kun and Sunako want you out of the way. Natsuno, they see you as a threat."

"This can't be the only way," Natsuno sighed, shaking his head. "If YOU had come to me and explained, I would have worked with you, Tohru-Chan. If the Shiki try to work with the people of Sotoba, rather than killing, there could be another way. Wait a few days, and a person's blood will replenish enough that you can take it again, right?"

"It's not that easy Natsuno! Even you see us as monsters, do you really think someone would cooperate with us if we told them what we truly were?" Tohru pointed out. His eyes looked panicked, he realized Natsuno was moving closer to him.

Natsuno pulled up his sleeve, exposing the flesh of his arm. "Then take my blood!" he said determinedly. "Tohru, I realized after your funeral I couldn't leave here without you. Come with me, we'll run together and find a better way. Leave these stupid people in this Podunk little town to their own devices. If they can't figure it out on their own, perhaps they deserve what they get."

"_That's really harsh, Natsuno, even coming from you,_" Tohru thought. He flinched and shook his head, turning away from the dark haired boy. "No, it won't work! If we run, Tatsumi-Kun might still attack my family. He may come after us. You don't know Tatsumi-Kun, he's a cold hearted sadist!"

"Isn't it worth a try at least, Tohru-Chan?" Natsuno asked as Tohru threw his hands to his head and sank to his knees, shivering. "If he comes after us, we'll fight him. Tohru-Chan, I'm offering you my help, you don't belong with these people. Tohru-Chan please? Tohru…?" Natsuno had come too close, Tohru gave off a low warning growl for the boy to stay away. "Tohru-Chan, you didn't feed at all last night, did you? I won't fight, not against you. I'm telling you it's alright!" Natsuno blinked and almost smiled as Tohru slowly began to turn toward him. The smile quickly faded when the blonde vampire had turned to face him. The look on Tohru's face was downright frightening. "T-Tohru-Chan?" Natsuno gasped in fear as Tohru lunged at him. Tohru wrestled Natsuno to the ground, tears streaming down his face, venom and saliva dripping from his fangs. Natsuno cried out as Tohru's fangs sank into the flesh of his neck. The vampire was no where near as gentle this time as he had been the last. Natsuno trembled as he felt Tohru's weight on top of him, he could feel his strength slipping away even further. Natsuno didn't push the frenzied vampire away, however. He forced his arms to move and he wrapped them around him. "T…To…Tohru-Chan," he gasped weakly, "Please, stop… If you take much more I-I'll…" Natsuno closed his tear-filled eyes and fell unconscious.

A bright light flashed and Tohru blinked. He was no longer frenzied. He was somewhere he didn't recognize. "Where am…?" Tohru gasped as he felt something warm and liquid running from the corner of his mouth. The vampire licked his lips and gasped. "BLOOD! No, I've attacked someone again? But, who?" His eyes widened as he remembered everything up until the hunger frenzy took him. The last person next to him was… He looked down at the ground. He found himself straddling a certain unconscious dark-haired teen. "N-Natsuno!" he wailed. "Natsuno! Natsuno? Please answer me! Oh God, what have I done?" He hugged Natsuno tight and close. "Natsuno, I'm so sorry…" He blinked as he hugged the frail human close, and gave a quiet sigh of relief. "Your heart, it's still beating. Oh thank goodness, you're still alive!" His eyes scanned the area once more. "Where are we?" Blinking yet again, Tohru jumped to his feet. "CRAP!" The area was thick full of trees, but not the fir trees that surrounded Sotoba. This gave some shade, but Tohru could already see the first lights of dawn creeping over the horizon. "I've got to find somewhere I can hide, and fast," he said worriedly. His eyes turned to Natsuno. "But I can't just leave Natsuno here alone." He pulled the unconscious boy onto his back. He was stronger now than when he was human, so he wasn't at risk of being slowed down. He ran as fast as he could away from the rising sun, keeping his eyes open for somewhere, anywhere where he could hide. "_A cave? That'll have to work!_"

Tohru quickly ducked into the cave and moved as far toward the back as possible, staying away from the sunlight. He knew he could have left Natsuno closer to the entrance in case someone passed by that could help him, but he wanted a chance to apologize face-to-face first. "Hang in there, Natsuno," Tohru sighed, hugging the dark-haired teen close. "Please, don't die on me." Tohru snuggled as close to Natsuno as he could. He was already having trouble staying awake. "Don't leave me," he whispered softly. "_He's so… warm._"

Natsuno was so weakened from Tohru's feeding frenzy that he slept away the entire day. Groggily, he opened his eyes and put a hand to his head. "Where…? Where am I?" His vision was blurred, his head throbbed, parts of his body felt numb it took every effort to even sit up right. "T-Tohru-Ch…?" Natsuno forced himself to a sitting position and pushed his back as far against the cave wall as possible as he remembered what happened the night before. "What's going on? Where am I? Why are am I here?" He looked around. He was alone. "Tohru-Chan? Where is he? Did he leave me here?" He pushed against the wall of the cave and forced himself to his feet. "Damn it all, it's difficult to move. I told him it was alright, but I didn't realize he'd take so much. I wonder if he's alright? If he left me in a cave, I can only imagine he was planning to come back for me." Natsuno staggered toward the entrance of the cave. Even now, with all his body weak and numb, all he could think of was "_Where am I?_ _Where did Tohru go?_ _Is he alright?_"

What Natsuno didn't know was that Tohru had woke the moment the sun went down. He thought finding food for Natsuno was the least he could do. He had timidly promised the sleeping teen he would be back as soon as he could. Perhaps Natsuno was right, perhaps there was another way. Once or twice a week from a willing human, then finding others to feed from or forcing himself to deal with the blood of animals if need be the rest of the time. This only meant he would have to nurture Natsuno's food intake in order to keep his blood development stable and prevent the risk of killing the boy. "_IF he's even still willing_," he thought to himself.

Gareki sat up and rubbed his head, looking around. "Where am I?" he grumbled. "Where are the others?" He jumped to his feet and began calling out to his companions. "Tsukumo-Chan? Nai!? … YOGI!? Where are you guys?" He couldn't understand it, the last thing he knew, it was midday and the Children of Circus were in a mansion. Now, all of a sudden, he was alone in the middle of the woods. "Did the computer self destruct and throw us into the woods?"

Tsukumo and Nai sat up and looked around. The two had landed somewhere in the woods, but were still together, as Tsukumo had pulled Nai away from the computer before the explosion. "Tsukumo-Chan, are you alright?" Nai asked, his large red eyes opened as wide as they could get as he looked her in the face.

Tsukumo smiled at Nai and nodded, "I'm fine, Nai-Chan. Are you OK?"

"Un!" Nai nodded, "But…" He stood up and looked around. "I don't see Gareki or Yogi… Ah!? Gareki!? I hear him, Tsukumo-Chan! He's calling for us."

"Nai-Chan, which way?" Tsukumo asked, jumping to her feet.

Nai closed his eyes, holding his hands to his ears, listening. Tuning out the echo, he was able to focus solely on Gareki's voice. His body twitched every now and then as he tried to listen. He opened his eyes and pointed. "THAT WAY!" he said determinedly.

"Let's go then," Tsukumo said, catching Nai's hand in hers. Nai nodded and quietly followed after her.

"Gareki!" Nai called when they finally caught up to him.

"Nai! Tsukumo-Chan!" Gareki heaved a sigh of relief, glad to see the smaller members of the group were safe and sound. Nai ran to Gareki, jumping into his arms, like a dog greeting its master. "You're both alright?" Gareki narrowed his eyes at Nai, as he could only see him in his Niji form whenever he acted like this.

"We're alright, Gareki-Kun," Tsukumo assured him, "But where's Yogi-Kun?"

"I thought he was with you guys?" Gareki replied, trying to hide the worry in his voice.

Tsukumo and Nai both slowly shook their heads. "Uh-uh."

"_Damn it all!_" Gareki thought worriedly, "_I hope he's alright!_" Gareki sat Nai back on the ground with a sigh, "I suppose we need to go look for the damned idiot. We need to find him… If that patch of his was knocked off again during that explosion…" Gareki shook his head, that wasn't something he wanted to think about. "Nai, do you hear him?"

Nai shook his head. "I haven't heard him once since Tsukumo-Chan and I woke up," he timidly admitted.


	2. 2 - You're Not Him

_**Chapter 2: You're Not Him**_

Yogi had been thrown farther away from the rest of the group. He sat up and shook his head, he quickly put a hand to his cheek. He sighed, his allergy patch was still in place. That was good. "Tsukumo-Chan? Nai-Chan? Gareki-Kun?" He looked around. "I'm alone?" This was not good. Yogi hung his head and sighed. "Maybe Kiichi-Chan is right. I really am a screw up," he grumbled. He slapped the sides of his face, after all there was no one else around to do it. He jumped to his feet and shook his head. "No, I mustn't think like that! I need to find the others."

As the blonde lieutenant walked through the woods, he came across a cave. Lying at the entrance was the body of a young dark-haired boy. Under the moonlight, it was hard to tell who it was. Yogi felt his heart leap into his throat. It couldn't be could it? "Gareki-Kun?" he ran to the teenager's side. "No, you're not Gareki-Kun," he sighed. He was relieved it wasn't Gareki, but still concerned for the boy. He moved him inside the cave and tried to find a way to wake him.

Natsuno groaned and opened his eyes, feeling the warmth of a fire. His vision was still blurred as he opened his eyes. All he could make out was the backside of a blonde male, next to the flames. "T-Tohru-Chan?" He blinked. Why was Tohru sitting so close to the flames? Aren't they supposed to be extra dangerous for Okiagari?

"Oh, you're awake?" Yogi said, turning to face the young purple haired boy.

"No?" _That's not his voice._ Natsuno closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to push himself into a sitting position. "You're not…" He sounded more confused than frightened.

"Hey, hey! Take it easy," Yogi said, rushing to the boy's side. "You seem really weak, are you alright?"

Natsuno glanced around. "Why am I back inside this cave?" he grumbled. His eyes landed on the blonde, staring him directly in the eyes. They weren't brown, but they weren't black and red either, they were violet. "No, you really aren't him," Natsuno sighed. "Did you bring me in here?"

Yogi nodded. "I found you unconscious outside. This seemed like the only place I could bring you to keep you out of the elements."

"_Maybe that's what Tohru-Chan was thinking, too?_" Natsuno wondered to himself. "_Just where has that idiot gotten off to, anyway?_"

"Are you out here by yourself?" Yogi asked.

"No… At least, I don't think so. I mean…" Natsuno hesitated, he'd just spent an entire day asleep, only to wake up alone in this cave. He cupped a hand around the puncture wounds on his neck and forced himself into a sitting position, leaning against the wall. He honestly didn't know if he was alone now or not. "There was someone else, but I don't know if he's coming back."

"Is something wrong with your neck?" Yogi asked, noticing where Natsuno placed his hands.

"…!" Natsuno quickly pulled his hand away. "No, nothing, just an itch." He lied, not wanting to draw a stranger's attention to the wounds.

Yogi smiled. "What is it with you dark-haired boys always trying to play the tough guy?" he mused.

"Come again?" Natsuno asked looking up at the blonde.

Yogi cleared his throat and blushed, realizing he'd spoken aloud. "No, nothing, just thinking out loud." He suddenly realized he hadn't introduced himself. "By the way, I'm Yogi, what's your name?"

"…Natsuno…" Natsuno quickly shook his head and corrected himself, "No… Yuuki! Call me Yuuki." Why had he said that? He didn't want anyone calling him by his first name. Could it have been that he simply told this blonde his first name because he was looking for a sense of normalcy?

"What's wrong with Natsuno?" Yogi asked.

"_CRAP! He's already latched onto it,_" Natsuno thought with a flinch. "I just prefer Yuuki," he answered flatly.

"I like Natsuno," Yogi insisted, "It means 'Summer', right? That's one of my favorite seasons."

Natsuno looked up at the blonde, with the goofy smile dancing across his face, for a moment. He was already starting to see the similarities in personality. No wonder he'd slipped up and given his first name. "Idiot," he grumbled looking away. If this one was anything like Tohru, he knew it was already too late, he would be stuck with 'Natsuno' no matter how much he complained. Given recent track history, he wondered if complaining would even be worth the effort.

Yogi reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a chocolate bar, offering it to Natsuno. "Here, it's not much, but you really look like you need to eat something."

"….. Thanks," Natsuno sighed, accepting it. It wasn't much, but he was feeling quite hungry. "_Of course I am,_" he thought, "_It's all that idiot's fault! He shouldn't have took so much blood last night._"

_**Meanwhile**_

"Yogi-Kun?" Tsukumo called.

"Yogi?" Gareki's voice echoed behind her. "Nai, do you hear anything?"

"No, nothing at all," Nai answered worriedly.

"Well, then we can be assured of one thing," Tsukumo said, glancing over her shoulder at Nai, "He hasn't turned into Silver Yogi, or Nai-Chan would be in hysterics."

"Well, that's at least something to be grateful for," Gareki absentmindedly said out loud. Tsukumo and Nai glanced at each other with quiet, knowing smiles, both wondering if Gareki even realized he was letting some of his emotions show in that statement.

Nai twitched and looked around. "I hear something over there," he said pointing to his left. "I don't hear a voice, but I hear something moving around."

"If it's a Varuga, it should have realized Nai-Chan was so close by now," Tsukumo stated. "Do you suppose it's Yogi-Kun?"

"If it is, I'm going to give him a serious thrashing," Gareki stated, "Either way, let's proceed with caution." The other two nodded in agreement.

They passed through the bushes toward the sound Nai had heard. There, on the edge of a cliff, down on his knees and leaning over something, was the figure of a young man with blonde hair. The full moonlight was the only illumination the three of them had. "Y-Yogi-Kun?" Tsukumo asked, quietly.

"Hey, Yogi?" Gareki called sternly, approaching the blonde. "What the hell's wrong with you?"

Nai froze, his eyes opened wide, every hair on his head felt like it was standing on end. Tsukumo blinked when she noticed this. "Gareki-Kun! Something's wrong with Nai-Chan."

Gareki stopped. Nai closed his eyes and shook his head, forcing himself to speak. "Gareki, don't get any closer!" he warned. "Something… Something's not right. That's not Yogi."

The figure before them stood up, slowly. He heard them, and wanted to keep his own distance for other reasons. Tohru was afraid to turn and face them. The blood from the rabbit he'd just captured was still on his face and some had gotten on his shirt. He had fully drained the poor thing dry and killed it. The blood of a small animal like this wasn't enough to fully satiate his hunger, but it would tide him for now, and Natsuno could use the meat. "I don't know who you guys are," he said softly, "But I'm not who you're looking for. For your own safety, please don't come any closer."

"For our own safety?" Gareki growled. "Just who do you think you are?"

"Gareki don't!" Nai cried out.

Tohru closed his eyes. This little one sounded so afraid of him, it almost hurt. "I suggest you listen to your friend."

"Nai-Chan, what's wrong?" Tsukumo asked.

"Something's not right about him," Nai whimpered, running to Gareki and wrapping his arms around the dark-haired teen's wrist. "I can't hear anything from him. He gives off no warmth, he's not even breathing, his heart is still. This person… This person should be dead!"

Tohru's eyes opened wide. Without thinking, he spun around to face them. "How…?" He took a step backwards as the three Children of Circus gasped and flinched at the sight before them. "How do you know that?" Tohru asked meekly.

Nai wasn't sure which sight was more traumatizing, the blonde talking dead teenager covered in blood, or the dead rabbit in his hands. "Are you some kind of Varuga?" Gareki growled, reaching for his gun.

Tohru blinked. "Varuga? What's that?" He was slowly inching his way toward the edge of the cliff. He could smell the fear in all three of them, he could smell their blood. For some reason, the little one's smelt exceptionally exotic. But he didn't want to harm any of them. He never wanted to hurt anyone, and he was already tired of doing so. "Please, just don't come any closer! I… I'm afraid I might hurt someone." He cradled the rabbit in his arms and took one more step back. He closed his eyes. He was there, right on the edge of the cliff. It was a plunge he knew he could survive if the measure called for it. A gentle wind blew through, rustling their hair and clothes. The three members of Circus stood breathlessly. This creature that stood before them, even though covered in blood, under the moonlight looked so gentle and so beautiful. He was nothing like any of the monstrous Varuga they had fought before. Tohru opened his eyes and smiled at them before jumping off the cliff.

Gareki and the others ran to the edge of the cliff and looked down, they were surprised he actually jumped. "There's no way could survive that, right?" Gareki asked.

"Not if he's human," Tsukumo agreed.


	3. 3 - The Gang's All Here

_**Chapter 3: The Gang's All Here**_

Yogi poked at the fire, stirring it with a stick to keep it from dieing out. Natsuno was starting to feel nervous, but was trying not to show it. He didn't know how long he'd been unconscious, but he was certain it wasn't long before dawn. If Tohru wasn't coming back, then hopefully he had somewhere he could hide once the sun rose.

"_WHY am I worrying about that idiot?_" Natsuno mentally scolded himself. "_I don't know what he's thinking. Did he simply drag me out here to the middle of nowhere and leave me so that he could return to Sotoba and tell the Shiki he'd carried out his task? Or is he planning to isolate me and finish the job?_" Natsuno heaved a quiet sigh and wrapped his arms around his knees. He was feeling a bit stronger, but still very tired. He didn't want to think _**his**_ Tohru-Chan would come back to hurt him a third time. No matter how many times he tried to convince himself that creature wasn't the same person, there was too much evidence to the contrary. He found the whole affair completely vexing.

"Natsuno?" Tohru's voice came softly from the cave entrance. Natsuno and Yogi both looked in the direction of the voice. Tohru noticed the fire and hesitated to go any further. Who had built that? "Natsuno, are you awake?"

Yogi saw the red glow in Tohru's eyes from the entrance of the cave. Immediately, his mind went on the defense, ready to fight a Varuga. Natsuno watched in breathless amazement as a pair of swords appeared in Yogi's hands. Tohru cautiously entered the cave. His eyes took some time to adjust to the light of the fire, after having to see his way through the dark, but he knew someone else was back there with Natsuno. Friend or foe, he could not say, but he knew they were there. He could smell them. He approached, hoping for the new person to be friend, but prepared to defend himself and Natsuno both should they prove to be foe. Tohru suddenly found himself pinned against the wall of the cave, the rabbit dropping onto the ground, the feel of cold steel at his neck. Yogi wasn't looking for a fight, but at the same time, he was afraid to take any chances. Tohru squirmed and gave out a hiss, trying to scare away his attacker.

"Yogi, no!" Natsuno exclaimed. "It's alright, don't hurt him."

Tohru shook his head, his eyes finally adapting to the light. "N-Natsuno?" His eyes shifted in the direction of the dark-haired teen and he gave a soft smile, glad to see his friend was alright.

"You know him?" Yogi asked.

Natsuno nodded. "Yogi?" Tohru parroted, returning his gaze to the blonde with violet eyes. "I see, so you're the one those kids were looking for?"

Natsuno froze upon hearing this. Tohru had run across other people? He looked the Shiki over and saw the fresh blood stains on his shirt, though Tohru had managed to clean it all from his face before reaching the cave. "Kids? Gareki and the others! Did you see them? Where?" Yogi asked.

Natsuno suddenly felt all his strength return. He forced himself to his feet, pushed his way between the two blondes and snatched Tohru up by the collar. "TOHRU! Get over here, you idiot!" he snarled, dragging the timid Shiki into the corner.

"Hey, wha… Natsuno… Wait?" Tohru objected. Natsuno pulled him away from Yogi and slammed him against the wall, looking him dead in the eyes. "What?" Tohru whimpered.

"Damn it all, Tohru-Chan! Where have you been?" Natsuno scolded. "And why are you covered in blood?"

"Blood?" Tohru blinked. He looked down and… Was that a blush on his face? Were vampires even capable of blushing? Tohru sighed and looked away from Natsuno, he'd never even realized he'd gotten it on his shirt, but given what Natsuno was seeing, and what he just heard, he already figured out where the younger boy's mind had gone. "It's not human, Natsuno, I swear it!" he assured him, gently catching the dark-haired teen's wrist in both his hands. "I left as soon as it was night fall. I wanted to find something for you to eat. It's rabbit blood, that was all I could find."

Natsuno sighed and let go of the Shiki. "Idiot, you actually had me worried. I thought you left me again."

"What!? No, not again!" Tohru insisted. "Natsuno, listen! I'm about to tell you something I never could have told you back in Sotoba, because I knew there was a risk of someone overhearing me. I'm a coward, Natsuno, you know that! It's the one thing I hate the most about myself. It wasn't my choice the first time, Shimizu took me from you. I didn't want to come back to you because I wanted you to remember me as I was. In the whole world, you were the one person I never wanted to see get hurt. But, I never wanted to hurt anyone. You asked if I believed all that stuff I told you about how it's no different from a human killing a pig? At the time I said yes, because I was afraid of the possibility that someone else would hear us. Sunako and Tatsumi were the ones insisting killing was our only way. But, I never did, Natsuno!"

Natsuno staggered a second and looked at him. "What do you mean?"

Tohru shook his head. "Those who do kill, they eventually realize there's no punishment for it and continue to do so without guilt. I couldn't do it. It was necessary to survive, so I had no choice but to feed, but I've never killed any of my victims. I drank them to the point of near death, then left. If they died, I may have been responsible for their heart and organs failing them, but the final blow was not mine. If they revived, then they simply revived. Some of those who packed up and moved out in the middle of the night were my victims, too. I couldn't stand an eternity with the weight of all those lives on my hands if I finished them off myself. That's why Tatsumi and Sunako ordered me to get rid of you. You were a threat. If I took you out, I would be hailed a hero by the other Shiki. But if I did it, perhaps they thought that with having done the worst thing I could do, I wouldn't hesitate to do the deed in future feedings. That's why they told me if I didn't, they would go after Aoi and Tamotsu instead."

"So, what? If we hadn't ended up here, would you actually have come back and finished the job?" Natsuno growled, taking a step backwards.

"What!? No," Tohru insisted, refusing to release Natsuno's wrist. Tohru's eyes filled with tears. "Natsuno, I would have immobilized you, perhaps drank you into a coma at the most. I could never bring myself to kill you." Tohru hung his head. He could feel Natsuno's pulse, it was slow, but steady. The younger teen shouldn't even be able to move. He was forcing himself to stand by sheer willpower alone. "Shiki ARE capable of feeding on animal blood, Natsuno. It just isn't as fulfilling as that of a human. Not as palatable, either." He looked back up at the purple haired boy and sighed, a slight blush crossing his face. "And I don't want you to freak out, but yours is the best I've ever tasted."

Natsuno wrenched his hand free and hit Tohru on the head with his fist, a blush creeping across his own face. "Let go, idiot! And stop calling me by my first name will you?"

Tohru quietly nodded, rubbing the top of his head. This was pretty much the reaction he expected. Yogi blinked at the two. They had been whispering, so he only heard bits and pieces of what they were talking about. It almost seemed like they'd forgotten about him. _… Typical._ "Um… Excuse me?" Yogi chimed in.

Natsuno blushed and moved farther away from Tohru. He'd gotten the answers he was looking for, at least. "I did see your friends," Tohru nodded. "I think they mistook me for you, for a moment. But the little one…"

Nai's voice rang in Tohru's mind. "_This person… This person should be dead!_"

Tohru shook his head. "The little one was frightened of me and wouldn't let them get close. I fled from them, for their own safety. The black-headed one, he seemed ready for a fight." Tohru sighed and slid down the wall of the cave. "_I could have broke him in half if I were forced to defend myself._"

"That's Gareki-Kun, alright," Yogi sighed, "Always ready to pick a fight with anyone who issues him a challenge."

"… Natsuno!?" Tohru and Yogi both exclaimed as the purple-haired teenager suddenly swooned.

Tohru quickly caught Natsuno in his arms and pulled him down to a sitting position, resting the boy's head on his shoulder. "Idiots, both of you," Natsuno grumbled, "How many times do I have to repeat myself? Don't call me that!"

Tohru sighed. "Natsuno, I'm so sorry," he whimpered, "I didn't want to do this to you."

"Tohru-Chan?" Natsuno grumbled. His voice sounded more tired and groggy than annoyed. Tohru's eyes light up, not their red glow, but happily. After all they'd been through, Natsuno was still calling him 'Tohru-Chan'. "So where's this rabbit you were talking about?"

"Huh? Oh, the rabbit! I dropped it when Yogi-Kun attacked me," Tohru admitted, looking around. "Ah! There!"

Yogi looked down and picked the rabbit up by the ears. Knowing it was meant to be food, he avoided the '_Poor thing, it looks like it was so cute_' comment that flashed through his mind. "I can clean and cook it for you, if you're hungry?"

Natsuno quietly nodded, shifting his eyes toward Tohru. "I'd do it myself, but I'm kind of at a disadvantage at the moment…. And Tohru-Chan doesn't have much longer that he can stay awake."

Tohru gave a quiet, unenthusiastic nod. He didn't want to go to sleep, but it was something he would have trouble fighting the moment the first rays of dawn swept across the horizon. With Yogi here, he was almost afraid that when he woke again, Natsuno would have left him. Tohru stayed by Natsuno's side for as long as he could, while Yogi prepared and cooked the rabbit. Natsuno faded in and out of consciousness. Even though Tohru was no longer warm, Natsuno still felt safe enough to sleep at the blonde teen's side.

By the time the rabbit had been cooked, Tohru was the one dozing off. "Get off!" Natsuno grumbled, shrugging the blonde Shiki off his shoulders. He may have felt safe enough to sleep next to Tohru, but he was still somewhat wary about letting the vampire's face get so close to his neck. "Idiot," he scoffed, trying not to blush, or smile.

Tohru tried to force his eyes to stay open as he gave an unnecessary yawn. "Natsuno? You'll still be here when I wake up, right?" he asked sheepishly.

Natsuno froze for a moment. "…!?" The purple-haired teen sighed. "I'm not going anywhere, dummy! Now get some sleep, will you?"

"We've been looking all night, and there's still no sign of him," Tsukumo lamented. "And Nai-Chan looks like he's getting sleepy."

"I'll be alright," Nai insisted, "I'm more worried about Yogi."

"What a pain in the ass," Gareki grumbled. "For his sake, he better be injured when we find him." Gareki glanced away from the other two, thinking to himself, "_Idiot! I hope he's OK._" Returning his gaze back to his comrades, he added. "Stay on your guard, you two, we still don't know what happened to that guy from earlier." Nai froze and twitched, placing his hands to his ears, he closed his eyes. He really was like a cute little animal when he acted like that. "What's up, Nai?"

"I hear him, Gareki! I know where Yogi is," Nai announced. He pointed at the cave. "He's in there."

"Well, then, let's go," Gareki said. The other two nodded and followed Gareki into the cave.

Natsuno had split the rabbit with Yogi, since he had taken the time to clean and cook it, he was certain Tohru wouldn't mind. However, Natsuno was wishing the cave was empty, as Yogi was proving a real chatter box about random things, kind of like some OTHER blonde he knew. They never even noticed the others approach the cave.

"Yogi?" Nai called.

Yogi and Natsuno flinched. Yogi turned to face the group. "Nai-Chan, Tsukumo-Chan? … Gareki-Kun!" Yogi leapt to his feet and threw his arms around the black-haired teenager.

"Idiot," Natsuno thought as Gareki began hitting Yogi.

"IDIOT!" Gareki exclaimed as he thrashed Yogi about, "You've got a lot of nerve worrying everyone like that! …?" Gareki blinked. Yogi was on the ground, hands on his head, and a large grin on his face. "What the hell are you grinning about?"

"Gareki-Kun, you were actually worried about me?" Yogi asked.

"Like hell!" Gareki denied. "I was talking about Nai and Tsukumo-Chan!"

"… You were worried," Tsukumo, Nai, Yogi, and Natsuno all commented. Natsuno didn't know Gareki, but judging what he'd already learned of Yogi, and knowing his own relationship with Tohru, he could see right through the dark-haired seventeen-year-old.

"Who the hell is this?" Gareki asked, finally noticing Natsuno was even there.

"Oh, let me introduce you guys!" Yogi said, leaping to his feet. "Natsuno-Kun, these are my companions from Circus. Tsukumo-Chan," the girl with blonde pigtails gave a respectful bow, "Nai-Chan," the albino closed his eyes, tilted his head to the side and waved. Yogi smiled and turned his eyes to Gareki, "And my best friend in the whole world, Gareki-Kun."

"Best…" Tsukumo started.

"Friend…?" Nai finished.

Gareki raised an eyebrow and struck Yogi on top of the head. "Since when am I your best friend? When was that decided?"

Natsuno smirked. "Denial," he observed out loud. "_Damn…! I've got to stop that before these two start calling me out on my own._"

"What the hell do you know?" Gareki grumbled. "So, who are you anyway?"

"This is Natsuno-Kun," Yogi said.

"… Yuuki!" Natsuno insisted, "Please, call me Yuuki."

Nai's hair stood on end and he hugged close to Gareki. "G-Gareki…"

"What's wrong Nai-Chan?" Yogi asked.

Nai pointed toward Natsuno's direction. "There, behind Natsuno-Kun." Natsuno closed his eyes and sighed. Great, now he had another one insisting on calling him by that name. "I-it-it's that dead guy from before!"

Natsuno and Yogi flinched. "What!?" Gareki asked, he and Tsukumo looking past Natsuno at the sleeping blonde sprawled out on the floor of the cave.

Natsuno sprang to his feet, ready to fight to the death if he had to in order to defend the sleeping Okiagari. "HOW do you know that?" he demanded.

Yogi nearly turned blue in the face. "He's dead?" he exclaimed, "But he was just sitting here talking with us a minute ago!"

"Idiot," Gareki grumbled.

"Never mind that," Natsuno growled, pointing at Nai, "HOW do you know Tohru-Chan is dead?"

"Hey! Don't raise your voice to Nai like that," Gareki snarled.

Yogi and Tsukumo both stepped aside, they already realized what was going on. This was a clash of egos on the same level. Tsukumo reached over and gently pulled Nai away from Gareki, worried about what would happen if anything more than words started flying.

Natsuno raised an annoyed eyebrow. "Just answer the damned question."

Yogi caught hold of Gareki's wrist, noticing Gareki was reaching for his gun. "Ah, Gareki-Kun, don't! Natsuno-Kun's human and unarmed!" he warned. Gareki gave an aggravated sigh.

Nai quietly watched Natsuno's movements. He could hear the fifteen-year-old's heartbeat. "He's also sick and injured," the little one spoke up. Natsuno stood dumbfounded, how could this child know this?

"Injured?" the Children of Circus asked.

Nai nodded and pointed at Natsuno. "His heartbeat's slow and he's been bitten on his neck," the Niji explained.

"What? I knew he was weak when I found him," Yogi admitted, "But I didn't notice…"

"IDIOT!" Gareki scoffed.

Before Natsuno could react, Tsukumo was at his side and had pulled the collar away from his neck. "He's right, two puncture wounds on his neck, they look like they've been bled out."

"This kid is a freak! How does he know all of this?" Natsuno insisted on knowing.

"That's not very nice, Natsuno-Kun," Yogi said, rubbing the top of Nai's head. "Nai-Chan's not a freak, he's a human-animal hybrid with an exceptional sense of smell and an even better sense of hearing. But Nai-Chan?" Yogi knelt down next to the boy. "Why do you think Tohru-Chan's dead?"

"I don't THINK he's dead, Yogi! I KNOW he is! His heart doesn't move, he doesn't breath. I couldn't sense any warmth from him. He smells of death. Look at him, he's stiff as a piece of wood. I don't even think he's dreaming," Nai explained.

"Where did these injuries come from, Yuuki-Kun?" Tsukumo asked. "Were you attacked by a Varuga, by any chance?"

"Varuga? What's that?" Natsuno asked. He gave the girl a half-hearted smile, at least SHE was being polite enough to acknowledge the name he requested to be identified with.

"The simplest way to explain it, I suppose…" Tsukumo began, "Varuga are post-humans and post-animals with special abilities. The Varuga were once human or animal, but a cell-modifying medicine given to them by an organization called Kafka slowly took over their bodies until they were fully transformed, at which point they became monsters. Another known technique to turn something into Varuga is by cell-infusion. If their blood or any of their bodily fluids get on or into your body, you can become one."

Natsuno's eyes widened and he tried his best not to dart them towards Tohru. Tohru was a Shiki, an Okiagari, a type of vampire. Just as a Varuga's blood or bodily fluids could turn someone if it got on them, vampires could create more of their own by draining their victims of blood, though the most common conception of this working was that the victim would have to drink the vampire's blood as well. Yet, for the Shiki, all that was required was for the victim to die with regrets that would hold them to this world. Natsuno never could understand why Tohru had to come back at all. What in all the world could the beautiful, care-free, happy-go-lucky, popular blonde have regretted enough to come back from the dead for?

Natsuno blinked and looked toward Nai. "And this kid, is he one of those?" he asked.

"Nai-Chan is something like that, but his case is special," Tsukumo nodded, "It's difficult to explain."

"So, what do you guys have to do with these 'Varuga'?" he continued to inquire.

"We're members of Circus," Yogi answered.

"Circus?" Natsuno parroted.

"You've never heard of us?" Yogi asked.

"No, where Tohru and I come from, we've never heard of any of this. It sounds like something out of monster movie or science-fiction novel," Natsuno stated. "So, what is Circus?"

"Where we come from, Circus is a governmental defense agency sent in to take care of special cases that no other group can manage. We specialize in the capture and elimination of Varuga as we chase down their creators and bring them to justice," Tsukumo explained. "After the investigation is complete, we put on a parade and a show as an apology to the area's residents for any disturbances we may have caused them. We were on one such mission when we ended up in this forest."

"I see," Natsuno nodded, his eyes staring at the cold rocky floors of the cave. "So, by capture and elimination, I suppose you mean that when you find these 'Varuga', you kill and destroy them?"

Tsukumo nodded an affirmative. "That's correct, Yuuki-Kun. So, I ask again, were these injuries caused by a Varuga?"

"…" Natsuno closed his eyes. "No."

Nai sensed it, the flux of Natsuno's heart as he hesitated in his answer. The Niji pointed at the Shiki. "He did it, didn't he, Natsuno-Kun?"

Everyone in the cave froze upon hearing this accusation. It wasn't like Nai to make wild assumptions, but if he was right, then why was Natsuno protecting him? Natsuno hung his head and rubbed his neck. "You know, kid, that's… really annoying," Natsuno said passively. "Kind of creepy, actually."

Nai frowned and clung tight to Gareki's sleeve, trying not to cry. He couldn't remember the last time someone had called him annoying, and as far as he recalled, no one had ever called him creepy. "Maybe he's a Varuga, and you're turning into one?" Gareki suggested.

Natsuno narrowed his eyes at Gareki. This guy really was itching for a fight. "NO, he's not one, and neither am I. But I tell you what, hot-shot, if you want a fight so bad, don't hold back just because I'm an injured civilian. I'll take you on bare-handed!"

"Absolutely not!" Tsukumo and Yogi objected.

"Gareki-Kun," Yogi addressed him, calmly. He couldn't believe he was about to do this, and he knew the reaction he was going to get for it. But, Yogi just seemed to be a glutton for punishment, especially where Gareki was concerned. "As your commanding officer, I'm forbidding any physical confrontation between Natsuno-Kun and yourself. No civilians must be harmed. Wait for Tohru to wake up, and then we'll decide how to act from there."

Nai and Tsukumo stood staring in disbelief, their jaws dropped. Gareki gave Yogi a dope-smack against the back of his head. "Did you just pull rank on me!?" he growled.

"That's right, I did," Yogi replied, turning to look Gareki in the face. "That was a direct order." Oh, he could see how bad Gareki wanted to hit him. But when the prince pulls rank, what more could the dark-haired boy do?

"THIS air-head is your commanding officer?" Natsuno asked in disbelief. He tried not to laugh. "_How have you guys survived this long?!_"

Tsukumo nodded, "Yogi is our commanding lieutenant on away missions, and the oldest member of our group of four, which has become known as the Children of Circus."

Natsuno blinked at her. "I'm almost afraid to ask. How old is he?"

"Prince Yogi is twenty-three years old now," Tsukumo stated bluntly.

"He's a prince, too? Wait! Twenty-three!? I wouldn't have pegged him for a day over eighteen," Natsuno exclaimed.

"I was surprised to learn his age, too," Gareki grumbled, turning away from Yogi. If he didn't move away from the violet-eyed blonde, he would have started hitting him, just to take out his frustrations. "He usually acts like he's freakin' ten."

"Hmph, just like a certain blonde eighteen-year-old I know," Natsuno mused, "Sounds like you and I are in the same boat more than I realized."

"Don't even begin to try and compare us, brat," Gareki grumbled.

Nai yawned and rubbed under his eyes. "Gareki, Yogi, I'm getting sleepy," he mumbled.

"It only makes sense, I suppose," Gareki sighed, "We've been up all night looking for that dork," he used his head to motion towards Yogi.

"Right, then everyone calm down, and let's all just get some sleep, huh?" Yogi said, rubbing the top of Nai's head.

"What about him?" Gareki asked, shifting his eyes towards Tohru.

"You don't have to worry about Tohru-Chan," Natsuno insisted. "We'll explain when he wakes up, IF he's willing to do so. But for now, suffice it to say that nothing can wake him until the sun goes down."

"Yogi!" Gareki sighed, "We'll sleep here and find out what's going on, like you said, but if either of these guys try anything funny while we're asleep, it's on your head."

"Define 'funny'?" Natsuno barked.

"OK, ENOUGH you two!" Tsukumo snapped. This took her companions by surprise, she was usually so quiet. She shook her head. "_And I thought just one person with Gareki-Kun's personality was trouble enough._"

Tsukumo found a spot as close to the fire, yet as far away from the boys as she could possibly get in order to lay down and sleep. Natsuno settled down next to Tohru, there was more of a sense of being protective behind this than he wanted to admit. Gareki distanced himself as far as he could from the others, only to have Nai run after and snuggle up to him. Yogi gave a quiet sigh, rubbed his forehead, and settled down next to the fire. The cave fell completely silent as everyone drifted off to sleep.

As nightfall crept in, Tohru began to stir. Natsuno woke up hearing Tohru gasp and feeling him jerk away. "Tohru-Chan?" Natsuno sleepily mumbled. He blinked, was that fear in Tohru's eyes? "Tohru-Chan, what's wrong?"

Tohru turned his gaze to Natsuno. "I thought I heard voices while I was asleep," he whimpered. "Natsuno, promise you'll stop me if I look like I'm about to attack someone again."

Natsuno sighed. "How the hell am I suppose to stop you, when you're so much stronger than I am?" he asked. He couldn't take that look in Tohru's eyes. "Alright, I'll do what I can," he promised. Natsuno blushed as Tohru hugged and thanked him. "Hey, let go, idiot!"

Tohru didn't let go, instead he tightened his grip. "Are you alright, Natsuno?" he asked worriedly. "I'm so sorry it came to this. I never wanted to do this to you."

Natsuno sighed. "I'm fine, Tohru, now let go will ya'?"

"HEY? You two want to pipe down? You're waking everybody else up," Gareki grumbled, sitting up.

Natsuno turned and made sure to keep himself between Tohru and Gareki. Nai twitched and blinked open his eyes. Tsukumo got up and gave a dainty little yawn, covering her mouth. Yogi groaned and sat up, stretching his arms above his head. "What's all the commotion?" the violet-eyed blonde asked, rubbing a finger under his eyes. "Oh, you're awake."

Natsuno scoffed, "Well, looks like the gang's all here! You were asking about Tohru-Chan? If he's willing to tell you, then let's talk."


	4. 4 - Shiki, Varuga, and Niji

_**Chapter 4: Shiki, Varuga, and Niji **_

Tohru kept himself as close to the wall and Natsuno and as far away from the Children of Circus as he possibly could. "I heard everything you guys said while I was asleep," he said. "I'm NOT a Varuga, but it's understandable how you could mistake me as one."

Gareki and the others gathered around. Nai was almost in Gareki's lap, and Yogi was sitting closer than what he was comfortable with. Tsukumo rolled her eyes at the boys, why was it always some kind of contest between the two of them to see who got closer to Gareki?

"Then what the hell are you?" Gareki asked.

Natsuno felt Tohru's hands catch hold of his shirttail and cling tight. "I'm what some would call an Okiagari, or Vampire. Specifically, I'm a new member of a clan that has recently begun calling itself Shiki," he started to explain.

"Corpse demon?" Tsukumo asked.

Tohru nodded. "Most Vampire stories tell of someone being turned after having been drained of all their blood. Some stories say you have to drink the vampire's blood. Either way, they always tell of the person being turned suddenly becoming this blood-crazed monster who's only thoughts are to seduce and feed. Shiki… are a little different. We're drained and killed by our sires, but we're only able to come back if we have regrets that tie us to the mortal coil. When we rise up, we keep our souls, feeding because we know we need to, sometimes going into an uncontrollable frenzy when the hunger becomes too strong. But we regret our actions. We don't mindlessly kill, we only feed to survive. But, like your Varuga, our bodily fluids are…unusual."

"Unusual, how?" Nai asked curiously.

"As the little mouse over there has already figured out, I'm the one who bit Natsuno," Tohru admitted.

"I'm not a mouse, I'm a Niji!" Nai objected.

"My hands were forced, I had to do it in order to save him from two members of my clan who are much stronger, and much more ruthless than I am. The venom in my fangs work as a powerful hypnotic. One bite and I could have rendered him into a temporary state of paralysis, then ordered him to do anything I asked. It would be as though I were turning him into a ghoul or a thrall, much like my sire did when I was turned."

Natsuno's eyes widened when Tohru said this. What was he talking about? What had Megumi Shimizu made Tohru do during those nights? He suddenly felt a pain in his stomach and his heart wrenched, and to make matters worse, he knew Nai sensed it. Shimizu and Tatsumi had paralyzed him and forced him to watch that first night she attacked Tohru. Her words rang in his head. "_**I hate this guy. You get along with him so much better than me. Why can't you look at me the way you look at him? So… I'm going to take him from you.**_" Natsuno closed his eyes and forced himself to hold back the tears he knew wanted to escape them. There had been nothing he could do in time to save Tohru, but with those words, Megumi had pushed all the blame for Tohru's fate onto him.

"As for our blood," Tohru continued, "We heal quickly. You can torture us and cut us, burn our skin, scramble our brains, even poison us, and we'll survive it all. Our hearts may not beat, we may not have a pulse, but somehow, the blood still flows through our veins. The blood itself is alive, like a parasite. It's what heals us. Whenever blood from a foreign entity is introduced to it, our blood breaks it down and absorbs it, assimilating it into our own. This in itself seems similar to how a Varuga can be created by someone coming in contact with the blood of a preexisting one."

Yogi looked like he was about to faint, Tohru had gotten pretty graphic with his explanation, and for some reason, it was giving him uncomfortable flashbacks to the time he spent in laboratories during his childhood. "_IDIOT!_" Gareki thought with a smirk, noticing the look on Yogi's face. "So, you can survive all that? Surely you have some weaknesses, right?"

The red lights in Tohru's eyes flashed as his grip on Natsuno's shirttail tightened and he slowly tilted his head up to look at the black-haired teenager. Nai shivered and attempted to move even closer to Gareki. "Why would I tell you how to kill me?" Tohru asked.

"I thought maybe I could put you out of your misery," Gareki scoffed.

"Don't do me any favors," Tohru sighed, looking away.

"_You'll have to get through me first,_" Natsuno thought as he glared at Gareki. He was beginning to dislike this guy more and more every time he opened his mouth. He stiffened and nearly blushed when he felt Tohru's forehead gently press against his back. He found it a little ironic that the Shiki was acting so frightened of this group of kids. But what was he really afraid of; what they would do to him, or what he could do to them? "Tohru, let go of my shirt already, would you?" Natsuno sighed, "It's not like I've got a spare if you rip it." Tohru reluctantly let go. The moss green shirt wasn't Natsuno's favorite, but as he said, it was the only one he had. "We won't give you exact details," Natsuno said, "But if you guys know anything about Vampires, then you should know enough. I only offer that much of a hint incase any of his clan turn up. It appears none of us know how we got here. If any other Shiki had been watching us the other night, it's possible they're here, too. Tohru-Chan's too much of fraidy cat to be any kind of threat."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence," Tohru remarked, standing up.

Natsuno turned at the waist, keeping his hands on his knees, and tilting his head up to look at Tohru. "Now, where do you think you're going?"

Tohru closed his eyes and sighed. "Out to hunt," he replied. "For starters, there's too many humans in this cave, I've got to get some fresh air before the smell of blood forces me into another frenzy. Second, I was worried that rabbit I brought you last night wasn't going to be enough, but it was all I could find. Maybe I can bring back a deer or two, or at least something bigger than a rabbit tonight for all of you."

Natsuno stood up. "Hold on a second? You're going out alone again? Don't you at least need to feed first yourself?"

Tohru shook his head. "I told you, it's not as fulfilling or palatable but I can survive with the blood of animals. You need to give yourself another day or two to recover from what I've already drank! Natsuno, you like to act tough, but I can sense it, you're still really weak from last time. I took more than I should have, and I'm sorry for that." Tohru knew it would embarrass him, but he did it anyway; he reached over and ruffled his hand through Natsuno's hair. "Right now, I just want you to get better."

Natsuno flinched and swatted Tohru's hand away. "Idiot!" the purple-haired teen scoffed. "Fine, go ahead. Just be careful out there. … It sounds like we're all running from our own demons tonight."

Tohru gave a weak smile and nodded. Natsuno quietly wondered how long it would take before he saw the Shiki smile like he use to. It almost gave him physical pain to see Tohru so melancholy. "Perhaps Nai-Chan can go with you?" Yogi suggested. Everyone blinked and turned their attention to the violet-eyed blonde.

"Yogi?" Nai chirped.

"What the hell?" Gareki growled.

"I'm not sure taking the mouse with me will be a good idea," Tohru said. "He's clearly frightened to be anywhere near me."

"Why do you keep calling me that?" Nai asked, turning back to the blonde Shiki. "I'm a Niji, not a mouse."

Tohru gave him a soft smile. "I'm sorry if it offends you," he apologized, "But I don't know what a Niji is. I DO however know what a mouse or a rat smells like, and your own scent isn't too far off from that. I figured calling you a mouse would be much more polite than calling you a rat."

"He's just a fluff ball with wings," Gareki scoffed, ignoring the blush on Nai's face. Yogi looked at Gareki, curiously, almost as if he was surprised Gareki used that terminology in reference to Nai of all people.

Tsukumo pulled out her portable compad. She'd tried it before, while she and Nai were looking for Gareki, there was no signal to allow her to contact the Second Ship, nor any of the rest of their team, but she could still access stored data with it. A few button presses, and a 3-D holograph of a Niji was projected. It was a small white, rabbit-like creature with red eyes and a pair of wings, lavender tips on it's feathered-looking ears-much like Nai's white hair with lavender tips, a pair of yellow horns on the top of it's head, and a long slender tail with a white lion-like tuft of fur at the end. "This is a Niji," she said calmly. "It's a creature from the Niji Forest-also known as the Rainbow Forest who's environment causes mirages, forcing its fauna to rely on their sense of hearing. Niji are an endangered species native solely to this area and because of the environment, they have excellent hearing. Yogi-Kun was suggesting Nai go with you because he could help you listen for animals to hunt."

Tohru's eyes widened at the image and he smiled. "Aaww…! So cute!"

Nai flinched and blushed. Natsuno blinked, was that the old Tohru coming back? That was the closest to his old familiar smile Natsuno had seen from him in days. "Maybe the kid should go with him. Tohru-Chan's use to playing the protective big brother."

"I'm still not sure that's a good idea. There are three people in this cave who their blood is just calling out to me. Unfortunately, Nai-Chan is one of them," Tohru objected, "He'd be safer here until I find something else to feed off of."

Natsuno turned to face Tohru. "Then who are the other two?" he asked curiously.

Tohru blushed. "You of course," he said, "I can't explain it, but as I told you last night, your's is the best I've tasted yet. Ever since I first sank my fangs into you, my body's been aching for more and I'm doing all I can to fight it." Natsuno flinched and blushed. The Shiki's eyes shifted toward Yogi. "And, there's something decidedly different about Yogi-Kun's as well. Something not quite human, yet very… tantalizing."

Nai fidgeted for a moment. He had been frightened of Tohru because he couldn't read him. But now he was starting to understand, he couldn't hear the Shiki's heart, but he could sense the blood running through him. He suddenly realized that Tohru was originally much like Yogi, hyper, happy, and easy to befriend, but his current sad, timid demeanor was due to his transformation, and the current friction between him and Natsuno that it had caused. The Niji's big red eyes looked up at the blonde Shiki, even after hearing how tempting his blood was to the Okiagari, he no longer felt any fear. "Um…?" he timidly chirped, "I'll go, if he's willing to let me."

"Like hell you are!" Gareki growled. "Not without supervision. We can't send Yogi, though, it needs to be someone who this guy thinks looks less like a buffet table."

"Then your little pet can stay, Tohru's not going anywhere with you," Natsuno insisted.

"F-Y-I, I didn't say I was going to go, but that someone had to," Gareki pointed, "And it's got nothing to do with your corpse demon there. Nai attracts Varuga like flies."

Tsukumo rolled her eyes and sighed. She was the only girl in the cave, yet Gareki and Natsuno were carrying enough testosterone for all six people it was starting to annoy her. "I'LL GO!" she insisted, standing up. "This environment's too hostile right now."

Tohru sighed. "No offense, but if anyone's going to come with me, I'd rather it just be one person," he insisted. "A hunting party much larger than two might become cumbersome. Nai-Chan, I do appreciate the offer, but do you think you could keep up with me?"

Natsuno gave a quiet smile, but tried to hide it. At this point, he would gladly welcome anything to bring Tohru back to his old self, Nai's innocent naivety was a possible push in that direction. Nai nodded, "I can do my best!"

Tohru smiled again, even brighter than before. "Alright then," he said, rubbing the top Nai's head, "It's settled, then. Let's go hunting."

"You'd better bring him back unharmed," Gareki scowled.

"Gareki-Kun, I'm sure Nai-Chan will be fine," Yogi assured him.

Tsukumo couldn't take it anymore. "Honestly, grow up already, all of you," she grumbled.

"Huh?" Yogi chirped as the others watched the girl stand and head for the cave entrance. "Tsukumo-Chan, where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm stepping out for some fresh air," she replied, "Don't worry, I won't venture too far. Nai-Chan, have fun with Tohru-Kun, but be careful."

Nai smiled and nodded, "Uh-huh!"


	5. 5 - Hot Spring

_**Chapter 5: Hot Spring**_

With Tohru and Nai out hunting, and Tsukumo refusing to come back inside the cave, Yogi found himself having to play peacekeeper between Natsuno and Gareki. This actually proved easier than expected as both of the darker-haired teens were men of few words when there wasn't already a conversation in place for them to get involved in. Yogi started trying to probe Natsuno for information about himself and Tohru. How long had they known each other? How old were they? How long had Tohru been a Shiki? Why was it that Tohru had to save him from others of his kind?

Natsuno and Gareki both became exhausted and annoyed with Yogi's line of questioning. It was that last question that finally caused Natsuno to loose all patience and snap at him. "Damn it all, you're annoyingly nosy!" the purple haired teen replied. He couldn't believe he was doing this, but he turned his attention to Gareki, "Is he always like this?"

Gareki scoffed and nodded, "You have NOO idea." Yogi frowned. Perhaps Gareki really didn't like him after all? So far, this seemed to be the first thing Gareki and Natsuno had agreed on. Gareki noticed the look on Yogi's face, but tried not to let on that he had. "But you eventually learn to overlook it," he added, "He's simply starved for attention after a bad childhood." Natsuno quietly nodded in understanding. "_He may be an idiot, but he's my idiot, damn it_," Gareki thought to himself, his eyes quietly locked on the violet-eyed blonde. In truth, Gareki almost wished Natsuno had gone along with Tohru and Nai. He'd not understood why he missed Yogi so much during the three years he'd been away, but he legitimately found himself wanting some time alone with the post-human, simply to sit and talk, or to listen to him talk, anyway.

Natsuno glanced toward Yogi, who was now sitting quietly and fidgeting with something on his arm. "What's that leather bracelet you're playing with, Yogi?" he asked. Hell, nobody else used any honorifics with the guy, why should he?

Yogi blinked and blushed, realizing he'd been caught. "Oh, this?" He smiled. "Gareki-Kun won it for me at a shooting gallery in his hometown the year we first met."

"What? You still have that old thing?" Gareki asked, blushing slightly, but quite surprised.

Yogi nodded. "It's the first thing anyone ever won for me," he stated, holding his arm up so everyone could see the bracelet, "And the only thing you've ever given me."

Natsuno gave a silent smirk and turned his eyes back to Gareki. "At a shooting gallery, huh? Quite the hot-shot, aren't you, Gareki-Kun?"

Meanwhile, Tohru was receiving a similar array of questions from Nai. Tohru was a little more willing to cooperate in answering, as he and Nai both had sharp enough hearing they could whisper to one another without frightening any of their prey, and Nai was also telling Tohru about himself and how he had come to know Gareki and the others. Slowly, little by little, Nai began to notice Tohru was smiling more and more as they talked. There were only a few questions Tohru seemed to dodge. "You said the person who turned you into a Shiki had hypnotized you. What did they make you do?" Nai asked.

"Um… Well," Tohru blushed, "It's not really something I want to talk about. You're kind of young to understand it anyway."

"Why did you bite Natsuno-Kun? You said it was to save him from others of your clan. Was he in some kind of trouble with them, or did they want him to join you?" Nai inquired.

Tohru shuddered. "It's complicated… and kind of painful. I suppose you could say it was both, considering who the two people in question were." He stopped and fell silent, looking around. "Do you hear that, Nai-Chan?" He was actually a little grateful for the chance to change the subject.

Nai stood still and put his hands to his ears, his eyes shifting to the left, then to the right. "Sounds like a couple of deer."

"Really? I didn't think we'd even find one, let alone two," Tohru said, "Heh, jackpot!" The blood of two deer would definitely be enough to fill him up as opposed to that single rabbit the night before, and the meat and skins of both would be more than useful for the others. Tohru had an idea as to where the deer were, but Nai was able to single them out completely. Once Nai had lead Tohru in the direction of the deer, the Shiki decided he could manage the rest on his own. He didn't want the little one to be any more frightened of him than he had been. "Thanks for the help, Nai-Chan. Can I ask another favor?"

Nai nodded, "Sure, Tohru-Chan, what is it?"

Tohru smiled at the Niji and rubbed the top of his head. "You've got an excellent sense of hearing, how's your sense of smell?"

"Not as good as my hearing, but good enough," Nai answered.

"Great, think you can tell the difference between plants that are safe to eat and plants that aren't?" Tohru asked. Nai nodded. "Then I want you to go see if you can find some nuts and berries or something of the sort to bring back to the cave, alright? Just be careful."

Nai smiled and nodded. "I can do that!" he said excitedly, turning to go do just that.

Tohru kept track of the deer, but waited until he was certain Nai couldn't see him before moving in on them. As soon as he was certain of that, he made his move. Biting both deer, he forced them into a state of paralysis. That first bite was the best the blood of either animal would taste to him. Once he'd paralyzed the second deer, he continued to drink it dry, savoring what he could of the experience. He tried his best to be careful not to get any on his shirt this time. That bourbon-colored shirt was covered in enough stains as it was, he already realized that he and Natsuno both desperately needed a change of clothes or at least to wash the ones they had, but out here in the woods, it would be difficult to do either. Once the first deer had been drained dry, he turned to the other to drain it as well. The second bite was less enjoyable than the first had been, but he managed. As he drank the second deer dry, he became aware that he enjoyed the flavor of both much better than he had the rabbit the night before.

Tsukumo was sitting quietly outside the cave and jumped when she heard the rapid fire of Gareki's gun. She turned and darted inside. "What's going on in here?" she asked.

"Shh!" Yogi shushed her. He looked back at Natsuno and Gareki with a smile. "They're bonding," _SNIFF_ "I'm so proud." Gareki was showing off his skills shooting the gun and was allowing Natsuno to shoot it as well. They were all surprised how well Natsuno handled the weapon.

Tsukumo rolled her eyes. "Well, it's good to see they're not fighting any more at least," she sighed, relieved that was all it was.

Tohru and Nai rendezvoused at a halfway point. With their excellent senses of sight, sound, and smell, this was easy for them to agree upon without any source of electronic communication. Nai had managed to collect a wide assortment of nuts, berries, and mushrooms that he was aware humans could eat. Tohru smiled and patted Nai on the head. "Good work, Nai-Chan," he praised the Niji, "Thank you for helping me tonight."

Nai smiled and nodded, doing his best to avoid looking at the deer the Shiki had slung over his shoulders. "You're welcome, Tohru-Chan," he said happily.

"It seems the only thing we couldn't find is water. Even if we could, I don't guess we'd have a way to transport it back to the cave. But, if there's animals in this forest, then there's got to be a water source somewhere," Tohru sighed.

"I did find a hot spring," Nai mentioned, "But, that's not really very drinkable."

"No, it's not drinkable, but I'm sure the others will be glad to know it's there," Tohru said happily, "Everyone could stand a chance to wash off. Do you remember how to get back to it?" Nai nodded. "Great, we'll be sure to let them know when we get back."

"We're back!" the Shiki and Niji announced when they returned to the cave.

"Welcome back!" Yogi greeted them.

"How'd it g…o…?" Natsuno asked. He had trailed off, because he noticed the look on Tohru's face, the blonde Shiki was smiling from ear to ear. "_That's the Tohru-Chan I know,_" he thought.

Tohru plopped the two deer next to the fire pit and Nai held out the front of his shirttail to show the vegetation he'd returned with. "You guys are awesome!" Yogi exclaimed.

"This is going to be a mess to clean," Gareki grumbled looking at the two deer.

"Not if Tohru-Chan was as thorough with these two as he was with the rabbit last night," Yogi said.

Tsukumo and Gareki looked at him curiously. "What do you mean, Yogi-Kun?" she asked.

"That rabbit he brought last night didn't have a drop of blood in it. I had it skinned and cooked within minutes," Yogi replied.

"YOU," the Children of Circus started in conjoined surprise.

"Cleaned and cooked it?" Gareki finished.

Yogi frowned. "WHAT!? Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Oh, Nai-Chan said he found a hot spring, too, if anyone's up for a bath?" Tohru quickly offered in order to change the subject.

Tsukumo's eyes lit up. "A bath? NOW we're talking! Why don't I go first, while you boys finish cleaning the deer?"

"Because, Nai's the only one who knows where it's at, and for safety purposes, it's probably best if none of us leave this cave alone for a while," Gareki replied.

"We'll all go together after we're through eating, Tsukumo-Chan," Yogi said as he began to skin the deer. Tsukumo sighed and nodded her agreement. Tohru had no use for the deer any more. He decided to wait outside and allow the humans and post humans eat in peace, or as close to peace as they could get with Natsuno and Gareki. This way, he could serve as a lookout.

After they finished eating, Nai lead them to the hot spring. There was a small spillway that allowed the water to run out of the spring, which meant this would be a perfect place not only to wash themselves, but their clothes as well. The Children of Circus emptied their pockets of all their electronics and rinsed their clothes in the spring then threw them over a large nearby rock to let them dry. Tohru and Natsuno followed suit. The five boys climbed into the hot spring without thinking anything more of it. It seemed in both their worlds, public baths weren't unheard of. Tsukumo timidly sat on the side of the spring, refusing to look at the boys and quietly fretting over the idea of joining them.

"Relax, Tsukumo-Chan! Come on in, the water's fine," Yogi assured her.

Tsukumo blushed, "That's not what I'm worried about!"

"Get over yourself and get in already," Gareki scoffed.

"Nobody's looking at you anyway!" both of the dark-haired teenaged boys commented, having already figured out what she was concerned over.

An awkward, uncomfortable silence swept over the group of six. Tsukumo turned a bright red and she stood at the edge of the spring. "JUST WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?" she asked. Yogi and Tohru both smirked, finding it ironic Gareki and Natsuno had agreed on something for once, but tried not to let Tsukumo see them smiling so as not to hurt her feelings. Nai just looked on curiously, not understanding what was going on.

"Hell, we didn't mean it like that," Gareki replied. "We simply mean it's safe for you to get in without worrying someone will pull something weird. … Look at it this way, you're worried about being outnumbered by a bunch of guys? Well, right now, Natsuno and I are outnumbered by a bunch of post-humans."

Tsukumo gave a quiet sigh and nodded. "Very well," she reluctantly agreed, climbing into the water.

Natsuno blinked and shifted his eyes to his left side. It was almost as if he had sensed Tohru watching him. "What?" he asked.

Tohru smiled at him. "Nothing. I'm just glad to see you're doing better. Give you tonight and tomorrow night, and your blood count should be normal again the following night. You already seem much stronger and healthier."

"Whatever," Natsuno scoffed, looking away.

"So, where do we go from here, Natsuno?" Tohru asked.

Natsuno blinked and looked back at the Shiki. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"We don't know where we are or how we got here. Either way, there's no going back to Sotoba for either of us now. You're always the one with a plan. Do we go our separate ways once you're well enough, or do we stay on together and find somewhere new?" Tohru asked.

Natsuno put his hand on top of the blonde Shiki's head and pushed him down under the water; it wasn't like Tohru had to breath anyway. "Idiot!" Natsuno growled, holding him there for a moment, before pulling him back up.

Tohru coughed and sputtered, regardless of the lack of need to breath, he'd still managed to get some water in his nose, throat, and lungs. "Wow…! I didn't think water up my nose could still sting like that," he said momentarily, as he hung off the side of the spring.

"I have no intention of parting ways with you, Tohru-Chan," Natsuno sighed.

Tohru blinked, looking back at Natsuno over his shoulder. "Even though you know what kind of threat I am to your safety?" Tohru asked.

"I didn't offer you my blood just to get you out of Sotoba and then leave you stranded with no one to turn to, dummy," Natsuno replied. "You were the only friend I had in Sotoba, and the closest friend I ever had in my life. Like I told you, I tried to leave after your funeral, but I couldn't. I realized that was where you were, that was where your murderer was, I couldn't leave without you, or at least not without putting an end to her. My dreams of returning to the big city may never come to fruition under these circumstances, but I won't care as long as I'm with you. I have no plan right now, but all that matters is that you and I still have each other to look after."

Tohru smiled. He knew he was setting himself up for a beating, especially if Natsuno felt the others may be watching, though it seemed like the four of them were too caught up in their own selves, as Yogi and Nai suddenly both seemed interested in offering to wash Gareki's back, and he was having none of it. Throwing caution to the wind, Tohru gently wrapped his arms around Natsuno and hugged him. "I was hoping you'd say that. The last thing I want to do is leave your side again. I don't want to be alone like this, loneliness was what drove Sunako to attack Sotoba in the first place. I can't think of anyone who's side I'd rather be at than yours. I can't think of anyone I'd trust more."

Natsuno blushed and shrugged the Shiki off. "Get off! Geeze, you're freezing cold! How is it possible for you to be so cold to the touch, even in the hot spring?" Natsuno sighed and gave Tohru a half-hearted smile. Tohru already knew Natsuno never gave anybody his real smile, though he would have liked to have seen it at least once. "You're not the type of person who does well alone, Tohru-Chan, I already know that," he said, "And it's not fair to you that you are what you are. I won't go anywhere without you."

Tohru caught an underlying message in Natsuno's words. It suddenly dawned on him that Natsuno had already known who had taken Tohru's life. "N-Natsuno…?"

Natsuno turned his eyes back to the blonde Shiki. "What is it Tohru-Chan?"

"Just now, you said you knew that I was murdered," Tohru pointed out. "How did you…?"

"The first night she attacked you, Tohru," Natsuno said, hanging his head. "She was jealous that I wouldn't look at her or talk to her, but that I was… comfortable around you. She hated you, she hated your smile, she hated the way I talked to you, the way I looked and smiled at you, when I wouldn't give her the time of day. I had started sleeping at your place trying to avoid feeling like she was still watching through my window. When she was alive, she spied on me every night. For a while, I thought I was free of that, then suddenly, I felt her eyes watching me, even through the closed shutters on my window, and I couldn't sleep at my house any more. She robbed me of my sense of security, even after she'd gone to the grave. I felt safer at your house, it was a second-story room, she couldn't see me there." Natsuno wasn't paying attention to the fact that the Children of Circus had stopped their bickering long enough to listen in on what would have been a private conversation. "That first night she came for you, was the last time I saw you alive. She told me how much she hated you and said she was going to take you from me. There was nothing I could do. They used some kind of gas to paralyze me; she and Tatsumi. I was forced to watch her bite you." Natsuno closed his eyes and tried not to shudder as his memories turned to that night. Megumi had been something out of a nightmare as she came out from under Tohru's bed, Natsuno's pleading for her to leave Tohru alone only made her more intent on carrying out the deed.

Tohru gently placed his hands on Natsuno's shoulders. "I had no idea. Natsuno, I'm sorry you had to witness it, but…" Tohru hesitated, this had been the underlying message he'd caught onto, "Please don't blame yourself for Megumi's selfishness. And don't think you have to stay with me out of guilt! I do not hold you responsible for what's happened to me."

Natsuno flinched and blushed. Tohru had seen right through him. It wasn't guilt that made him want to keep Tohru at his side, but it was true that Megumi had left him blaming himself all this time. He had almost convinced himself Tohru's reasoning for coming for him in the first place had been because the Shiki knew he'd been unable to save him. Hearing these words, Natsuno felt as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He suddenly wished they were alone, both fully clothed and back in the cave so that he could allow this moment to become emotional without having to worry about a group of strangers judging him over it.

Tsukumo and Yogi looked in the direction of Natsuno and Tohru with quiet smiles. Tsukumo felt as though they were intruding upon the two of them, but couldn't shake that warm-fuzzy feeling she got from listening to the two friends converse, even on a subject like that. She found it refreshing that, unlike Gareki, while Natsuno was trying to play the tough guy, he was willing, even capable of letting his guard down enough to talk with his friend like that; though she was basing this on the fact that she unaware that Yogi had once seen Gareki cry.

Gareki also felt like he was intruding on the conversation and tried to act as though he were ignoring it, in an attempt to allow Natsuno some dignity in the situation. Yogi and Nai, however weren't being quite as discrete.

"Aw, that's so sweet!" Yogi chirped, wiping a tear from his eye, "You two really are close, aren't you?"

Natsuno blushed and shrugged Tohru's hands off his shoulders. "Let go, already!" he exclaimed. Tohru himself blushed, realizing the others had been listening.

Gareki and Tsukumo blushed as well, leave it to Yogi to be the one to say something. "IDIOT!" Gareki scolded, "Don't listen in on other people's conversations like that, what the hell's wrong with you!?" He took notes from Natsuno and forced Yogi's head under the water, holding him there for a second, however, as he realized that unlike Tohru, Yogi had to breath, he didn't hold the violet-eyed blonde under for very long.

Nai giggled at them. Their hearts and thoughts had all betrayed themselves to his extra sharp senses. As Gareki let Yogi up for air, he couldn't resist pointing out what he thought the rest of them were completely blind to. "You know, Gareki? The relationship between Natsuno-Kun and Tohru-Chan isn't much different than your own with Yogi."

Everyone fell silent for a moment. Nai had just called all of them out. The Niji suddenly found himself assaulted by a large wave as the other five members of the group splashed at him in response. Nobody would dare make the move to dunk him under the water like they did the older post-human blondes. As the wave washed over him, he closed his eyes and held his breath, once it had past, he coughed out the air he'd held in and shook his head, splashing the water off his hair. What resulted was an every person for themselves water fight of splashes. It was probably the most fun any of them had had in a long time. Tohru and Natsuno probably enjoyed it more than the others, as it reminded them of the day Tohru showed Natsuno the fountain with the spider.

The fun was suddenly cut short however, as Tohru and Nai both stiffened and flinched, as though they were listening for something. The others took notice, these two both had exceptional senses of smell and hearing, if they were both acting like this, something must be wrong.

"What is it, Nai-Chan?" Yogi asked.

"Is it a Varuga?" Gareki asked.

Nai shook his head. "Nuh-uh," he said, blinking off into the southern direction. "It's not Varuga. It's something… Someone like Tohru-Chan, but… There's something stronger…meaner about this sensation."

Tohru shivered. "I sense that… Nai-Chan, is it me or…?"

Nai nodded. "Two of them. One much like you, the other like you, but not quite."

"CRAP!" Tohru exclaimed. With the blink of an eye, before anyone else realized what was going on, Tohru was out of the water, dressed, and dragging a struggling Natsuno off behind a tree. "Get out!" he insisted as he pulled the purple haired teen out of the water. When Tohru was a human, Natsuno would have been able to slow him down or fight him off all together, but his pulling against the Shiki was akin to a buzzing fly now. Tohru kept his eyes adverted from Natsuno's lower regions as he pulled him behind a tree, pushed him against it and forced the boy's clothes into his arms. "Get dressed, you're leaving, now!" he insisted.

"Tohru-Chan, what the hell?" Natsuno exclaimed.

Tohru pushed a finger to Natsuno's lip. Natsuno blinked in confusion, it wasn't like the blonde to boss him around like this. "Natsuno, please," Tohru whispered, "Just… please!" He sighed and wrapped his arms around the purple haired teen, letting their foreheads touch and their eyes lock. It had been two whole days since Tohru had bitten Natsuno, there was no way the venom to hypnotize him was still in the teen's system, he wouldn't have taken advantage of it even if it were. "YOU can't be out here right now. I'm begging you, please go back to the cave where it's safe. I'll ask Gareki-Kun or Yogi-Kun to take you back if I have to, but you just can't stay here." Tohru put his finger to Natsuno's lips again, already aware that he was about to say something. "Don't! After being in the water, it should be difficult to pick up your scent, but DO NOT speak another word until you're safely in the cave, alright?" Natsuno nodded. He thought he was starting to understand why Tohru was so worried. Tohru and Nai had sensed other Okiagari, and from the way Tohru was acting, Natsuno had a pretty good idea which ones.


	6. 6 - Before Sunrise

_**Author's Note:**_ First off, to Anime-Frekkkk; Thank you so much for being the first to favorite, follow, and comment on this story. I'm glad you're enjoying it. As I promised, I'm having too much fun letting Natsuno/Gareki and Tohru/Yogi play off of each other to drop this story just yet. I appreciate your support. Second, to the rest of you; Good things are to come in future chapters on the Karneval side of the story as well. I'm still trying to figure out what I want the Varuga to be, and Yogi and Gareki have some stuff to work through themselves, just not on the emotional level of what's happened between Natsuno and Tohru. Maybe it's just me, but even with all the similarities between the two pairs, I believe Natsuno's more likely to admit his feelings long before Gareki ever does. Anyone care to place their bets?

_**Chapter 6: Before Sunrise**_

At Tohru's request, the Children of Circus took Natsuno back to the cave, agreeing not to let him leave until the Shiki returned. Though, Tohru gave them no explanation as to why. He hoped against hope that having washed their clothes and spending time in the water would be enough to wash away or mask their scents long enough to see Natsuno to safety. The purple-haired teen was stronger now, but still not at his best, and if the entities Tohru and Nai had sensed approaching truly were who Tohru suspected, then the blonde Shiki would prefer to be caught by himself when running across them.

"_They mustn't know he's still alive,_" Tohru thought to himself. He turned and faced the direction he and Nai had sensed them from. "What I really want to know," he thought aloud, "Is how in the hell is _**SHE**_ staying out of the sun? What are the chances of two abandoned caves in this forest?"

"What was wrong with Tohru-Chan?" Yogi asked, once they got back to the cave.

Natsuno shook his head. "He wouldn't answer me when I asked the first time, and refused to let me ask again. He made me promise not to say another word until we got back here." He sank to the floor, his hand on his head, his eyes closed shut, as though he had a headache. "Nai? You said you sensed someone stronger and meaner than Tohru-Chan, right?"

Nai nodded. "That's right, Natsuno-Kun."

"Yuuki-Kun? Are you not feeling well?" Tsukumo asked, kneeling down beside him.

Natsuno gave her a soft, half-hearted smile. "I'm fine, Tsukumo-Chan, thank you," he said, "I think I know who they were. I wish he'd come back with us."

"The same people he tried to save you from?" Gareki asked. Natsuno gave a quiet nod.

"Don't worry, Natsuno-Kun," Yogi said with a smile, "We'll keep you safe."

Natsuno shook his head. "It's not me I'm worried about."

The Children of Circus took shifts keeping look out for the rest of the night. Nai kept on alert for any signs of the presences that he'd sensed while they were at the spring, but was otherwise left in the back of the cave with Natsuno, in hopes that the Niji could somehow lull the worried teenager to sleep. "After all, who doesn't sleep soundly with an animal at their side?" Gareki had mused. This almost seemed as though it was going to work.

The effort was ruined, however, when Natsuno overheard the conversation between the others. "Nai-Chan, is Yuuki-Kun asleep?" Tsukumo quietly asked.

"Almost," Nai replied just as quietly.

"Do you sense anything, Nai?" Gareki asked.

"No, I don't sense the ones I felt at the spring anymore… But I don't sense Tohru-Chan either," Nai admitted.

"Perhaps he tried to lure them in another direction," Yogi suggested.

Gareki yawned, "Damn it all, I'm getting tired. What time is it?"

Yogi shook his head, he had been the last to come in from standing guard. "I don't know, but it looks like it's almost dawn."

Natsuno sprang up and looked at them. "What did you just say?" he asked worriedly.

"It's early morning," Yogi replied, "Nearly sunrise."

"Damn it all!" Natsuno exclaimed jumping to his feet. "That idiot hasn't made it back yet?" The others shook their heads. Natsuno gave an irritated grunt and made his move for the entrance. "Nai, grab one of those deer pelts out of the corner and come with me," he instructed.

"Hold it!" Gareki grabbed Natsuno's collar. "Just where the hell do you think you're going? We promised him we wouldn't let you go anywhere until he comes back."

Natsuno wrenched himself free. "That's just it, if he doesn't get back before the sun rises, he won't be coming back at all! Do you people really know nothing about Vampires? The sun WILL kill him! And it will be slow and painful." Natsuno closed his eyes. "That's why I want Nai to come with me. His body will start working against him, forcing him into a deep sleep as the sun rises, one he can't fight off after it reaches a certain point in the sky. I'll need Nai to help me find him if that happens."

"I told you before, Nai's not going anywhere without one of us supervising him," Gareki insisted, "I don't know about these Corpse Demons, but if there are any Varuga around, they will sense him and attack in a heart beat. Then, we've got a Varuga attacking a human, a Niji, and a sleeping Vampire."

"Well fine, then one of you can come with me… As long as it's not the girl," Natsuno stipulated.

"What the hell?" Gareki asked.

"Why not me?" Tsukumo asked quietly.

Natsuno sighed and rubbed his temple. "I have no doubt she's capable of defending herself. But if the two that are out there are who I think they are, it's bad enough I'm risking letting the only one of them that can come out in the sun know I'm alive, against Tohru's wishes. But as soon as the other one learns I've been seen with a girl, Tsukumo-Chan will become a target. I don't want anyone else being put in danger because of their association with me."

"Then I'll come with you," Yogi offered.

"YOU?" Gareki exclaimed.

"Why not?" Yogi asked.

"First off, you hate fighting. Second, when's the last time you changed your patch? We don't need you going Silver out there," Gareki stated bluntly, knocking his knuckles on top of the violet-eyed blonde's head.

"I doubt your guns will do any good against them, Gareki," Natsuno sighed, "I think it best Nai and I go ourselves, like Tohru said, a smaller party may be easier to move around. I won't let anything happen to Nai-Chan, I give my word on that, but we don't have time to stand here discussing it!"

"Gareki…?" Nai asked quietly, his red eyes staring up at the black-haired teen.

"Nng…" Gareki looked away, those eyes were so hard to look into. "_Damned animal!_" he thought. Gareki sighed and rubbed the top of Nai's head. "Alright, you two be careful."

_**Earlier**_

Tohru gave Natsuno and the Children of Circus a head start back to the cave, then turned in the direction where he and Nai had sensed the other members of his clan. His heart may not beat, but he could still feel it clench tight in fear. He hoped that the two Okiagari they had sensed weren't Tatsumi and Shimizu, but deep down, he was certain that's who they were. He headed in that direction, hoping he could sneak up on them long enough to discover their identities without being discovered.

He fell breathlessly quiet as he spied on the two Okiagari. The fox-like ear shaped spikes of blue-green hair on the male and the long curly pink pigtails of the female were unmistakable. In his mind, Tohru cursed the day he ever invited that Tatsumi to visit him and 'bring a friend'. That had been the same trick Shizuka had used by asking for permission for her 'big brother' to visit Natsuno in order to gain entrance to Natsuno's room for Tohru. Tohru's parents had always talked about how blessed he was to be a child who never knew a stranger as he grew up; but as he sat in the tree line now watching his murderer and her accomplice, he was beginning to think it more of a curse than a blessing.

Megumi Shimizu was complaining, like always. "Tatsuuumiii-Kuun," she pouted, "This place sucks! There's been nothing to eat since we got here, and I'm starving!" Tohru flinched hearing those words, if the pink-haired Shiki and the green-haired Jinrou knew there was a veritable buffet of humans and post-humans in a cave not five miles north of them, they'd partake in a ruthless slaughter in order to feed themselves.

"Only because you're refusing to feed off the rabbits around here, Megumi-Chan," Tatsumi grumbled, "I keep telling you they're safe to eat." Tatsumi liked the way Megumi's mind worked when it came to feeding off humans, she seemed to think a lot like he did, and while he found her complaints annoying, he'd become rather friendly with her. In spite of her whining, he was glad she was with him, otherwise, he'd be very lonely without his mistress Sunako.

Megumi frowned at the Jinrou. "You _HONESTLY _expect _**ME**_ to lower myself to eating rodents?" she scowled, kicking a rock half the size of her fist and watching it skip across the ground, as though she'd kicked a pebble. "I'm tired of make-shift shelters of leaves and branches to hide from the sun, too! We need to find a way out of these woods and back to civilization, soon. I want to find a city full of people, where I can have my pick of hiding places and feed to my heart's content!"

"Until then, find a deer or something, the chances of finding a random human out here are rather slim. If you don't feed soon, you'll frenzy. I'd rather not be your first target when that happens," he sighed.

"**Deer?**" she asked. "Tatsumi-Kun, why do you keep suggesting animals, I thought we couldn't eat them?"

Tatsumi sighed, the '_diva_' was starting to grate on his nerves a little. "Well, you can't have the flesh of an animal, only the blood, just like that of a human. It won't taste as good, and isn't as good for you as human blood, again, that's just one more perk I have over you. But, it will work for you in a pinch. What was your favorite meat when you were human? The blood of that animal may taste the best," he explained.

"Beef, or whale meat if mother could afford it," Megumi answered flatly, leaning against a tree.

Tatsumi sighed, "I doubt we'll have any luck finding whale out in the middle of a forest, but if there's any wild cattle, I'll try to catch you some."

Megumi smiled excitedly, "You mean it, Tatsumi-Kun? Oh! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She threw her arms around his neck and giggled.

Somehow, seeing her so happy made Tohru's stomach hurt, almost like he felt nauseous. "Ok, ok, you're welcome!" Tatsumi chuckled.

"Ne, Tatsumi-Kun?" Megumi suddenly asked. "Do you have any idea where we are or how we got here in the first place? The last thing I remember was being in the woods near Sotoba, spying on Mutou and Yuuki-Kun." This made Tohru flinch. There was no denying it now, they had heard the words exchanged between him and Natsuno that night. "Why did you send Tohru after Yuuki-Kun, anyway? You heard what they said to each other! He said he did it to save him. You should have sent me!"

"More fun to watch them suffer," Tatsumi grumbled.

Megumi blinked, "Huh?"

Tatsumi smirked and looked over his shoulder at the pink haired Shiki, who was still dangling off his neck. "Think about it, Megumi-Chan," he said, "Natsuno rejected you. The whole point in making him watch you take away the one person he cared about more than himself was to get even with him for that, right?" Megumi nodded. Tohru dug his claws into the bark of the tree he was standing behind. Tatsumi had just admitted in not so many words that this whole thing had been a set up to toy with Natsuno's heart. "Then what better way to get back at both of them for making you miserable, than to send that same person after him? The chances of his rising up would be greater, and, if he felt that his 'friend' had betrayed him, who else would he have to turn to than you?"

Megumi's face lit up. She smiled and nodded happily. "Of course! It makes so much sense!" she giggled, "It's brilliant, Tatsumi-Kun."

Now Tohru was seething! "_How dare they toy with Natsuno like that?_" he thought angrily, the red lights in his eyes flickering as he watched the pink haired murderess and her accomplice brag on the 'genius' behind their scheme.

Suddenly, a loud sound rang out. It was far enough away from the vampires that it couldn't be heard by Nai back at the cave, but still close enough that all three Okiagari were able to hear it. It was a loud, bell-like sound. It wasn't necessarily metallic sounding, but definitely a bell, like something on a large clock tower. The two Shiki covered their ears and sank to their knees, with a gasp of fright and discomfort. As Megumi shivered, Tatsumi stood towering over her. Just one more weakness the Shiki had and the Jinrou didn't. It was amazing how few weaknesses the Jinrou had to their Shiki brethren, to the point it was hard to believe that the nocturnal Shiki and the day-walking Jinrou were even part of the same clan. "W-Wh…What was that?" Megumi finally managed to ask, still terrified and clinching her hands over her ears.

"Sounded like a clock," Tatsumi said, looking in the direction the sound had come from.

"Does that mean there's a town nearby?" Megumi asked hopefully, pulling her hands away from her head and slowly looking up at the green haired Jinrou.

Tatsumi looked down at her, then slightly shifted his head, to clue her in, while trying not to give anything away. The bell was loud enough to drown out any sounds more than a few feet away from a human, but he wasn't human. He knew they were being watched. He couldn't smell the spy, but he'd heard them clear as day when the bell rang. "I don't know, but I'm willing to find out. … But until we do, I think we need to find you something to eat, Megumi-Chan." In the blink of an eye, he was gone from in front of her and in the trees behind Tohru, who still hadn't moved his hands from his head. "I think you'll do nicely," he snarled, giving the blonde Shiki a good, swift, hard kick to the stomach. Tohru was knocked over and rolled down the hill, landing in front of Megumi.

The pink haired Shiki frowned at the blonde and gave an annoyed hiss. "YOU," she snarled.


	7. 7 - More In Common Than We Like To Admit

_**Author's Note:**_ Flashback Chapter! Yep, everything that was set up for at the end of Chapter 6 is in flashback as seen through Tohru's eyes. I don't normally do narratives in this perspective, because you can only give what the character talking thought and felt, not the others, this was an interesting experience. Also, we'll be focusing on Gareki and Yogi for a while after this chapter's over, so I gave it a sort of bitter-sweet ending between Natsuno and Tohru-Chan.

_**Chapter 7: More In Common Than We Like To Admit**_

Natsuno grew more and more worried with every passing moment. The first rays of sunlight were already peaking over the horizon, and they had found no sign of Tohru. Nai was hot on the trail, carrying along the pelts from the deer. The Niji could sense Tohru, but it was a while yet before he could hear him. Tohru had no need to breath, therefore Nai had little sound to work with in searching for the Shiki. However, he soon found himself smelling blood, blood that smelt like Tohru.

"Natsuno-Kun, I think I know where Tohru-Chan is," Nai said, trying not to sound as worried as he felt. He stopped, twitched for a moment, looking in all directions, then nodded when he was absolutely certain. "This way!" he exclaimed running in the direction of the scent. Suddenly, they heard a loud, painful scream as the sun began to rise higher into the sky.

"Damn it all!" Natsuno exasperated, catching Nai by the wrist and picking up the pace. Natsuno slid to a screeching halt at the top of the hill where Tohru had originally ran across Megumi and Tatsumi. Natsuno and Nai both gasped at the sight before them. There was a large oak tree in the middle of the clearing where the two Okiagari had been talking. Tied to it with vines was a worn out, beaten Tohru, and his skin was starting to burn as the sunlight began to weave its way through the trees and leaves into the area. "TOHRU-CHAN!" Natsuno exclaimed, running toward the tree.

"N-Natsuno?" Tohru closed his eyes and shook his head. "You shouldn't be here!" Nai helped Natsuno remove the vines as quickly as possible. Tohru did his best not to show how much pain he was in, but even without a super sharp sense of hearing, Natsuno was already well aware that the Shiki was suffering. They quickly wrapped the deer skin around the Shiki as a source of protection from the sunlight. Tohru closed his eyes, gave off a few soft whimpers of pain as his skin healed, and pressed his forehead against Natsuno's chest. "Natsuno… They'll kill you if they find you here."

"Then I'll die fighting," Natsuno grumbled. "Who did this to you, Tohru-Chan?" Natsuno blinked, had he seen that right? He grabbed Tohru's chin and gently turned the Shiki's head to one side, then the other. There were puncture wounds on both sides of his neck. "Did somebody bite you!?"

Tohru gave a weak nod. "I'll explain later," he said quietly. "We can't stay here."

Natsuno sighed and nodded. Normally, Tohru would have healed with no problems, but he'd been bled out and his body left for the sun, even those wounds were healing slowly. Natsuno was almost worried to take Tohru back to the others; afraid of what Tohru would do should the hunger over take him after loosing so much blood, afraid of what they would do in their own defense should it happen. But there was nowhere else to go.

"Oh dear," Tsukumo gasped when the boys returned, "What happened?"

"I don't know yet," Natsuno replied, carrying Tohru as far to the back of the cave as he possibly could. "He's beat up pretty bad," he sighed, laying the now unconscious Shiki on the ground, keeping him covered with the deer skin.

"This is your all powerful Corpse Demon?" Gareki asked, leaning in behind Natsuno. "I thought he could heal himself?"

"SHUT UP!" Natsuno growled turning to look at the black-haired teenager. "He's been bitten and bled. There's not enough blood in this cave to heal him right now."

"So what you're saying is that when he wakes up, he's a danger to all of us?" Gareki asked, crossing his arms.

Natsuno sighed and hung his head. He knew Gareki was right about that much. "Unfortunately, yes," he admitted, "If I thought there was a way to tie him up and keep him from coming at us while we fed him animal blood, I would do it, but…"

Yogi sighed and reached into one of the packs that he had been sent with on their mission. It had mostly been meant for bringing back any physical evidence they may have found at the mansion. "Never underestimate Circus and our ability to be prepared," he said, pulling out a length of rope and handing it to Natsuno. "I only think it fair you do it, Natsuno-Kun."

Natsuno sighed and nodded, taking the rope from Yogi. "When he wakes up, I want all of you to step outside tonight," he requested as he began tying the sleeping Shiki's arms and legs together behind his back. He felt as though this measure was betraying Tohru, but it was for everyone else's safety, if Tohru were to frenzy, he didn't want the others to be there.

Natsuno spent the whole day at Tohru's side. For the first time since Tohru had risen, the Shiki did not sleep soundly, as he twitched and whimpered in pain the entire time. Natsuno almost felt it was cruel to keep him tied up. Whenever Tohru began to act in such a manner, Natsuno found that the mere touch of his hand on the back of the vampire's head was enough to quiet him. "You know this guy's eventually going to kill you if you stay with him right?" Gareki asked, as he leaned against the wall. He and Natsuno were the only ones awake.

"You're one to talk," Natsuno replied.

"Come again?" Gareki asked.

Natsuno's eyes turned from one sleeping blonde to the other. "We're both pretty hard on them, even when we don't intend to be," Natsuno admitted. "I asked Nai what you meant, when you told Yogi you didn't want him 'going Silver' out there. It doesn't sound much different from how Tohru behaves during a hunger frenzy."

Gareki sighed, "It's frightening as all hell," he reluctantly admitted, "I had only just told him moments before it happened not to count me among his friends. I guess that was pretty harsh. Suddenly, we were blinded and he was calling for me to say something so he would know where I was. It was the first time I ever called his name. Not that I ever consciously thought about it, but I had never once spoke his name before then. It was the only thing I could think to say in the moment. The next thing I knew, he'd gone mad, his hair had turned silver and there were vines of thorns dancing all around him. Usually, Yogi hesitates to fight, but he was all gung-ho about it then. He gave the two Varuga that had attacked us a run for their money and cocooned me in a wall of vines. His silver side couldn't understand why he'd protected me. To be perfectly honest, I'm still not sure why he did, either."

Natsuno's eyes quietly shifted from Yogi back to Tohru. "Lost puppy syndrome," he said, trying his best not to laugh. "These two are a lot alike."

Gareki scoffed and leaned against the wall of the cave, his arms and legs both crossed, but with his legs kicked out in front of him in order to give himself support. "Ain't that the truth," he muttered. His eyes shifted from one blonde to the other and he sighed. "Ironic how they're both older, but we're the ones playing babysitter, right?" Gareki smirked and scratched the top of his head. "We've got our hands full with these two, Natsuno."

Natsuno gave a quiet smile and a nod. "Our problem is that we're trying to be realist, and lock ourselves away from the world to avoid getting hurt," he acknowledged.

"But these dorks won't give us a moment's privacy to allow us to accomplish it," Gareki sighed.

Natsuno and Gareki both looked at each other quietly for a moment. Their usual blank expressions slowly turned from blank, to an amused smirk, to a smile, and finally to quiet laughter. After all their conflictions when they first met, the two of them now realized they both stood on the same page.

Gareki looked back at Yogi and sighed. He knew Natsuno wanted some time alone with Tohru once the Shiki woke up, but that until it was safe to untie him, hunting for tonight's food would fall to others. It wouldn't be much longer before night fall as it was. He walked over to the sleeping prince and slapped his hand on Yogi's back. "Hey! Get up, we're going out for a walk," he demanded. Natsuno gave a quiet smirk.

"Huh, wha…?" Yogi mumbled, rubbing his eyes with the back of his arm. "What do you mean, we're going for a walk, Gareki-Kun?"

Gareki caught Yogi by his shirt collar and pulled him to his feet. "Come on, get up, already," he sighed, impatiently. "Tohru's not going to be able to hunt for us tonight," he reminded the violet-eyed blonde, "Someone's got to do it, may as well be us. Tsukumo-Chan and Nai can stay here and stand watch."

"I guess that makes sense," Yogi agreed. "But wouldn't you rather take Nai-Chan instead of me?" Yogi adverted his eyes to the floor as he asked this.

"…Nnoooh… Nai will be more helpful to Tsukumo-Chan," Gareki answered. "Nai can locate animals for us easier, but I need someone who can help me catch our prey and bring it back."

"Then take Tsukumo-Chan?" Yogi suggested.

"If I had wanted her to come along; I would have woke her up first," Gareki sighed, catching Yogi by the wrist and dragging him out of the cave.

Yogi blinked and looked up at Gareki curiously. Did he understand that correctly? Gareki actually wanted him to come along? He glanced back over his shoulder at their sleeping comrades, then back at Natsuno. "_What were those two talking about anyway?_" he wondered to himself.

A few hours later, Nai and Tsukumo both woke up. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Nai looked around the cave. "Gareki?" he mumbled sleepily.

"He's not here right now, Nai-Chan," Natsuno answered softly. "He took Yogi and went hunting."

Nai flinched. "Gareki left me behind?" he asked.

"_Geeze, Gareki's got two of them riding his coattails, doesn't he? Glad I've only got Tohru-Chan,_" Natsuno thought. He smiled at Nai. "It's not like that," he assured the Niji, "He and Yogi just need some time alone to talk. He said you would be better help to Tsukumo-Chan in keeping guard over the cave until they came back." Natsuno smiled at the albino. "He's trusting you two to keep Tohru-Chan and me safe." To this, Nai smiled and nodded.

Tohru began to shift and squirm in his sleep, the first signs of moonlight were encroaching upon the land, and the Shiki could feel the night air enveloping him. Tsukumo and Nai honored Natsuno's request and quietly stepped outside the cave, where they would wait until he called for them. "Tohru?" Natsuno called the Shiki's name, hoping his voice would postpone any frenzy. "Tohru-Chan, can you hear me?"

Tohru blinked his dark eyes open and slowly scanned the cave. "N-Natsuno?" he whimpered.

Natsuno sighed. "I'm here, Tohru."

Tohru made an attempt to sit up right, but with his bindings, it proved difficult. "I can't move?" the Shiki exasperated.

"Calm down!" Natsuno ordered, catching Tohru's shoulders in his hands. "Here, I'll help you sit up. I tied your hands and feet together incase you lose control."

Tohru closed his eyes and sighed. "Always thinking ahead," he said, "It's alright, Natsuno, I don't blame you for being cautious."

"What happened, Tohru?" Natsuno asked. "Who did this to you?"

"They're here, Natsuno," Tohru said, "Tatsumi-Kun and Megumi are here!" Natsuno flinched at the mere mention of the female Shiki's name.

Natsuno frowned. "They did this?" Tohru nodded. "Oh, Tohru-Chan, I'm so…"

Tohru shook his head. "Don't!" he interrupted him. "Natsuno, an apology just isn't like you. I already told you, I don't blame you for their actions."

"What the hell happened, Tohru?" Natsuno asked.

Tohru sighed. "When Nai and I both sensed the presence of two other Okiagari, I immediately became suspicious as to who it was. I was already certain it was Tatsumi and Shimizu. After all, who else would have been in the area to spy on us that night? Apparently, whatever happened to bring us here, they were close enough for it to get them too. I found where they were, and sure enough, I was right. Tatsumi-Kun's been keeping Megumi out of the sun using whatever he can find to create make-shift shelters for her in the middle of the night."

Natsuno smiled. Tohru blinked, was that Natsuno's actual, real smile? If so, the Shiki certainly wished the purple haired teen would do it more often. "I'm sure that pink witch is just loving that," Natsuno said sarcastically.

_***FLASHBACK AS TOLD BY TOHRU***_

_ I snuck up on them, stopping at the top of the hill. After the time we'd spent in the springs, even Tatsumi-Kun couldn't smell me, so it was easier to do than anticipated. I over heard them talking. They had heard everything we said to each other before the hunger took me. Tatsumi admitted to her that he had sent me after you as part of a plot to make us both suffer, in hopes you would become one of us and run to her thinking I'd betrayed you._

_ Suddenly, there was a loud ringing noise, like a clock bell. Shimizu and I froze in fear of the sound, but it didn't effect Tatsumi-Kun at all. In that brief instance of fear, I had given myself away. I heard Shimizu ask if the sound meant there was a town nearby and Tatsumi-Kun said they'd find out. But… __**SHE**__ hadn't fed since they got here._

_ The next thing I knew, I was lying at her feet at the bottom of the hill, with a pain shooting through my stomach. I think he kicked me, but it all happened so fast, I wasn't certain what had happened._

_ Before I could move, Tatsumi was towering over me, with his foot on my chest. "__So, Tohru-Mutou, I see you're still with us in the afterlife! Are you here alone?__" he asked me._

_ "Of course I'm alone," I replied, "You don't see anyone else here, do you?"_

_ Megumi knelt down next to me, leaning in so that our faces almost touched, the red lights showing in her eyes. "__**Where is Yuuki-Kun?**__" She hissed._

_ "DEAD!" I lied. I already knew I couldn't let them catch you, but after I heard them talking, there was no way in hell I'd let them find you._

_ "__You're a bad liar, Tohru-Kun,__" Tatsumi growled._

_ "No, it's true!" I insisted, "I heard you say you were there that night. You saw what happened; the hunger took me! I tell you he's dead."_

_ "__**Don't lie to us, Tohru,**__" Shimizu sneered._

_ "It's not a lie, I tell you!" I continued to protest._

_ ""__You're too much of a coward to finish him off in two bites, even in a hunger frenzy!__" Tatsumi snarled, "__I'm willing to bet that even in a frenzy, you jerked away and started bawling you're eyes out the moment that brat fell unconscious. He was so pathetic, the way he hugged you and started crying into your chest, begging you to stop right before it happened, too. I bet you don't even remember that part, do you? Why don't you do us all a favor and tell the truth? Where are you hiding him? Megumi-Chan can go finish the job, and then he can become one of us, and the two of you can fight over him to your hearts' content.__" _

_ I flailed my head about and tried to squirm away. "I'm telling you, he's dead! I admit, I didn't finish him that night, but the job is done. I used the hypnosis to erase his mind, though. He died with no memories or regrets, so he can't come back!" Another lie in desperate attempt to force them to forget about you._

_ "__Then, what did you do with the body?__" Tatsumi-Kun asked._

_ "I buried him. He was my friend, that was the least I could do," I told them._

_ Megumi was unconvinced. "__**You don't even have the faintest hint of freshly dug dirt on you, even if you have washed yourself that would be a scent difficult to rid yourself of. So stop lying, Tohru-Kun, and tell us where my Yuuki-Kun really is,**__" her voice was sickeningly sweet. It was as if she were trying to sing me a siren song of deceit._

_ "Go to hell," I replied, "Dead or alive, I'll never let you have him."_

_ "__Too bad, Megumi-Chan. Here, I thought we could savor some of Natsuno's blood. Tohru certainly seemed to enjoy it. I guess we'll just have to settle for his instead,__" Tatsumi-Kun suggested. I don't know if he thought the threat of being bled out would scare me into submission or not, but I refused to give them any further information. They bit me, Megumi on the left of my neck and Tatsumi-Kun on the right. They drank until they were certain I was too weak to fight or run and tried to question me again. When I refused to even speak, Tatsumi began to beat on me with his fist, and sank his teeth into a few other places. Shiki and Jinrou are both capable of feeding off of other Okiagari. It's a symbol of trust and love when both participants are willing, but much akin to one human raping another if not. The Jinrou also have a special bite for when they do this, it fells like burning acid flooding our bodies. Of course, our blood keeps us alive through it unless we're bled completely dry, but Tatsumi-Kun's been known to use it as a form of punishment several times in the past._

_ Ironically, the only thing that saved me was the rising sun. Tatsumi had to build a shelter for Megumi, so he used the vines to tie me to the tree and leave me for the sun. I don't know if he expected me to actually die there, or if he thought you would come along and save me in the nick of time, but the fact that you did… Natsuno, he knows I was lying…!_

_***END FLASHBACK***_

Natsuno sighed. "Block head," he said, gently wrapping his arms around the still bound blonde Shiki. "You should have told them the truth. I'll fight tooth and nail before I let those creeps take me." He sighed, as Tohru's chin rested on his left shoulder. "It's alright, Tohru-Chan," he whispered, "Gareki and Yogi are out hunting for food, but I know you need something right now. Try not to take too much, but take what you need to heal yourself."

"Natsuno? NO!" Tohru objected, trying to pull away, "You're not ready for me to bite you again."

"Tohru-Chan, please!" Natsuno said, looking the blonde Shiki in the eyes. "This happened because you were trying to protect me." He gave Tohru a sad weak smile. "I'm telling you it's ok. I'm strong enough I can take it. What I can't take is seeing you like this! Tohru-Chan, please? It's alright… Just enough to heal yourself."

Tohru sighed and nodded. "Alright… But if I lose control, hit me as hard as you can and push me off. They'll be looking for both of us come full night fall, you're going to need whatever strength you can muster." Natsuno gave him a quiet nod of agreement. Pulling the blonde Okiagari's head back to his neck, Natsuno closed his eyes and braced himself for what he knew was coming. The purple haired teen closed his eyes and blushed, giving a quiet gasp as he felt the vampire's fangs pierce the flesh of his neck and begin to drink from him. This bite was much different from the last two, more intentional and much gentler. Tohru closed his eyes and blushed, if his hands were free, he would have wrapped his arms around his willing donor. Even now, it still stood; Natsuno's blood was the best he'd ever tasted.


	8. 8 - Act Normal!

_**Author's Note:**_ Wow, first off, Happy Valentine's Day 2014! I didn't actually expect to get any chapters finished and posted today, but it's 5:48 am and I'm about to have to go pick my roommates up from work, so I've been up all night working on Chapter 8. As promised, we're going to start focusing on Gareki and Yogi for a while. I hope this isn't too much of a disappointing start to their side of things? I tried to keep them as much in character as I possibly could, too, so I'm sorry if anything they say or do feels out-of-character. Like I said, up until tonight, all I knew was the 13 episodes of Anime and a few things I picked up on the wiki. I have read Chapters 74-76 of the Manga tonight, though, and intend to go back and read the rest soon.

_**Chapter 8: Act Normal!**_

Yogi followed quietly behind Gareki. As a matter of fact, he was unnervingly silent. "You're too quiet back there," Gareki grumbled, "I didn't loose you, did I?"

"I'm still here," Yogi answered, unenergetically. He bumped into Gareki, having not paid attention. The dark-haired teen had stopped dead in his tracks. The violet-eyed blonde blinked curiously, as Gareki turned and frowned at him. "_What did I do now?_" Yogi wondered, when he saw the look on Gareki's face.

"Are you sick or something?" Gareki asked, crossing his arms. Usually Yogi was happy to be at his side, all over him in fact.

Yogi shook his head. "I'm fine," he replied.

"Don't give me that bull," Gareki scoffed, "Something's bothering you! You're acting like a normal person."

"S…sooo…?" Yogi asked timidly, tapping his finger tips together.

"'So'? That's not normal for you," Gareki said, leaning toward Yogi, almost coming close enough that their faces touched. "If nothing's wrong, then act normal, damn it! Otherwise, if you've got something to say, just say it already."

Yogi blushed and blinked, was Gareki actually worried about him? Of course the dark-haired teenager would never admit to it if he was. But, how was Yogi ever supposed to tell Gareki _**HE**_ was what was bothering him? No matter how he worded it, he knew it would only lead to further beratings and being smacked around. Yogi sighed, he had to find some way to word it. "I guess I'm just worried about leaving Natsuno-Kun alone with Tohru-Chan," he finally answered, it wasn't what was first and foremost on his mind, but it was something he had concerns about.

"Let me ask you something?" Gareki inquired, with a raised eyebrow, "Do you feel personally responsible for everyone you rescue, or is there something particularly special about Nai, Natsuno, and myself?"

"Yes! … And yes," Yogi answered, hanging his head. "Gareki-Kun, you especially. I suppose I see some similarities between you and Natsuno-Kun that makes me worry about him, too."

"The kid seems pretty capable of taking care of himself," Gareki assured Yogi, "And he and his _**pet**_ Corpse Demon seem close enough that I imagine the 'little' vampire has some semblance of self-control with him. I don't think we have to worry about Tohru hurting Natsuno. I think the only reason he tied him up was because he was worried what would happen if someone else got too close."

Yogi was surprised, did Gareki just compliment somebody? For that matter, did Gareki just compliment **Natsuno**? Of course, Yogi had no idea about the time Gareki had told Hirato he thought Yogi was "pretty flexible" when Hirato chided him for "putting our children in danger" when they had met Yanari. The fact that Gareki had ever said anything remotely nice about him would have sent Yogi to the moon and back in total elation if he'd known about it. "Ne, Gareki-Kun?" Yogi asked, "Can… Can I ask you something?"

"What?" Gareki asked.

"Why did you decide to come back?" Yogi asked. "Was it just so that you could protect Nai-Chan? Was he the only reason?"

"_Where the hell did that come from?_" Gareki thought, looking back over his shoulder at the blonde. Gareki blinked, Yogi was keeping his eyes adverted from him. "_THAT'S what's bothering him!_" he realized. "Why do you ask?"

Yogi had already apologized for what had happened the first time he 'went silver', though he remembered nothing that had happened, he knew something had happened where he had to apologize. Though, there was also the incident with Tsubame and Yotaka. Yogi couldn't remember if he'd ever apologized to Gareki over his inability to save Yotaka or not. "I like you, Gareki-Kun," Yogi admitted, "I want to be your friend, but you keep saying we're not. That's why I thought you might prefer Tsukumo-Chan or Nai-Chan to come with you instead of me tonight. I know I've let you down in the past before."

"When?" Gareki asked.

"Huh?" Yogi blinked at him.

"When have you ever let me down?" Gareki stopped again and turned to look at Yogi. "Rinoll wasn't your fault! Hell, you don't even remember what happened, you just know something did. Even so, you made sure I didn't get hurt; just scared the hell out of everyone that's all."

"Yeah, and I've apologized about that so many times, but then there was when we went to Karasuna. I did my best to try and save Yotaka and Tsubame. But in the end…"

"Yotaka's death wasn't your fault either," Gareki scoffed, looking away from the blonde and clenching his fist. It was a memory he'd wanted to move on from. "Yotaka was already turning into a Varuga. If something wasn't done, Meiga could have found a way to take full control and Yotaka would have killed Tsubame, no matter how hard he tried to stop himself. In the end, that Shitty Four-Eyes killed Yotaka, and that bastard Meiga who was behind all their troubles and caused Tsubaki's death; Hirato and Tsukitachi beat me to him, too. That's all there is to it, and I'll thank you not to bring it up again."

Yogi gave a quiet nod. "I'm sorry," he said.

"_Damn it all!_" Gareki thought, "_It's so hard to stay mad at him when he looks like that!_" Gareki sighed, "I didn't come back just for Nai," he stated. "There was someone else on the ship I found myself missing just as much, maybe even a bit more. … Yogi, you're the first person who's ever seen me cry, and you know good and damned well I'd kill you if you ever mentioned that fact to anyone! That said, there are very few people I have ever let my guard down around, so don't go off thinking that just because I _**once**_ said we weren't friends that I hate you completely." This was the most honest Gareki had ever been with anyone. The feeling it gave him was conflicting, he felt awkward, like something was fluttering in his stomach, but at the same time, it felt sort of… nice, almost liberating. "Let's just say the ship was starting to feel like home, and leave it at that."

Yogi gave a slight smile and nodded. He was already starting to feel better. He ran up so that he was at Gareki's side, closed his eyes and smiled at the dark-haired teen. He knew better than to ask, but he did it anyway. "Who is the someone, Gareki-Kun?" He leaned forward at his waist, tilting his head to the side, his dazzling violet eyes closed, and a grin dancing across his face. Gareki groaned and looked away. Yogi smiled even bigger as he couldn't resist the urge to tease. "Awe, does my little Gareki-Kun have a crush on someone? Is it Tsukumo-Chan? How cute!" he giggled, watching the teenager's face grow redder and redder. _**WHAM!**_ Gareki's fist came down on Yogi's head. Yogi knew that was coming, but he didn't care.

"Don't treat me like a kid when you act like one yourself, ya' weirdo!" Gareki grumbled, secretly glad Yogi was acting in such a fashion once more, "No, nothing against Tsukumo-Chan, but it wasn't her that made me come back."

Yogi blinked as he rubbed the top of his head. He smiled. Though the blonde dared not mention it, he made a mental note that Gareki didn't deny the possibility of a crush, only that it wasn't Tsukumo. "_Iva-nee-san, perhaps?_" the blonde thought, "_Oh, Gareki-Kun, why couldn't it be me? Guess I'll just have to try harder._" Yogi smiled and ran to catch back up to Gareki. NOW he was acting like the Yogi that Gareki had come to know and trust. "So, what exactly are we hunting for, anyway, Gareki-Kun? More deer, rabbits perhaps?"

Gareki tried not to let Yogi see him smile. "Whatever we can find. A deer or two would be best for Tohru-Kun's sake, and it would be easier to feed the remaining five of us with an animal that size as well. But even if we have to settle for several rabbits and squirrels, it's a start. We just can't let Nai watch them be killed."

Yogi nodded in agreement, "True, I don't think Nai-Chan could handle that. Even I felt sorry for the rabbit Tohru-Chan brought back the first night."

"_Idiot,_" Gareki thought with a somewhat amused smirk on his face. "I suppose you've never had to resort to eating rodents before?" he asked.

Yogi shook his head, "No, not really. It tasted good for what I could do over a campfire, but I'm use to the food that Circus serves." Yogi's eyes widened as he realized what Gareki was hinting at. "Ga-Gareki-Kun? You know what it's like, don't you? When you first struck out on your own, right?" Yogi wrapped his arms around Gareki, throwing caution to the wind. The blonde didn't care how badly he'd get beaten for it, he enjoyed being as close to Gareki as he could. "It must have been such a hard life."

Gareki growled and blushed, knocking the blonde away. "Get off! What's wrong with you?"

Yogi frowned. "Darn it all, Gareki!" he exclaimed, "I don't get you? One minute you're telling me to act _normal_, the next you're telling me to act **normal**, which is it!?"

Gareki smirked. He slowly turned back to Yogi, trying his best not to let the blonde see his smile. "That's because when I have to tell you to act **normal**, you're acting _normal_!"

"That makes no sense at all," Yogi objected.

"Sure it does," Gareki answered, "You're just not ready to understand it yet." Gareki turned and started walking away. "_That will keep him guessing for a while,_" he thought with a quiet chuckle. "_Natsuno's right, though, we are too harsh on them, even when we don't mean to be._"

Yogi found himself having to sprint to catch up to Gareki once more. Yet again, he bumped into the back of the black-haired teen who had stopped in his tracks. "What now?" he asked as Gareki glanced back over his shoulder at him, with one of his usual blank expressions.

Gareki put a finger to his lips. "Shh…" His eyes shifted toward the bushes just a few feet ahead of them, where they saw some movement. "Remember, Yogi," he whispered, "We'll need to use your vines to make cages, if it's an animal, we want to bring it back alive for Tohru-Chan." To this, Yogi nodded an affirmative.


	9. 9 - The Post-Human, the Shiki, & Jinrou

_**Chapter 9: The Post-Human, the Shiki, and The Jinrou**_

Gareki and Yogi quietly slipped up on their prey. This proved easy for Gareki, so Yogi simply followed his lead. They peeked through the bushes and smiled. It was a rabbit, it wasn't much, but it was a start. Gareki gave the signal and Yogi nodded in understanding. Yogi's thorn-like vines dug into the ground and tunneled their way toward the rabbit, springing out, they surrounded the animal and trapped it in a cage.

"How long can you leave these things unattended?" Gareki asked.

"I've never tried, to be honest," Yogi admitted.

"…" Gareki rolled his eyes and tried to be patient with the blonde post-human, "Alright then, if you had to guess?"

"Thirty minutes maybe?" Yogi figured, "Most likely no longer than an hour on small ones like this."

"We'll have to hope we can find more or better prey within that time frame, then," Gareki sighed. "Come on."

Yogi released the vines, leaving the rabbit trapped. "Right behind you," he said, following behind Gareki.

Gareki blinked and looked over his shoulder, taking note of the look on Yogi's face as the blonde glanced back toward the rabbit. He was afraid of that. Yogi's attention was pulled back forward when he felt Gareki's hand on his head. This time, however, Gareki didn't hit him, which was what forced him to look back at the dark-haired teenager. "Don't feel guilty about it. We have to eat something or we'll all starve, even the animals know that," Gareki told him. Yogi nodded and continued following behind Gareki.

"Hey, Gareki?" Yogi asked, after a moment of silence had passed.

"What?" Gareki replied, mentally preparing himself for more of Yogi's nonsense, especially since he'd addressed him as 'Gareki', instead of 'Gareki-Kun'.

"I've been wondering about something for a while now. How do you think we got here in the first place? I mean, it's odd that we survived the explosion, and makes no sense that Nai-Chan and Tsukumo-Chan were the only ones who were with each other when they woke up after the blast. But, even Tohru said that this isn't the same place he and Natsuno-Kun are from, and that all he remembers before finding the two of them out here in these woods was a bright light," Yogi pondered.

Gareki stopped and blinked. Yogi was actually talking serious business. He smirked, "_Well, I guess even this idiot knows when to stop and face reality sometimes,_" he thought glancing back at the messy-haired man standing next to him. Over time, Gareki had realized he was beginning to use the word 'Idiot' a lot more fondly toward Yogi, almost as if it were a term of endearment rather than an insult. "I don't know to be perfectly honest," Gareki begrudgingly admitted, "But if our Varuga was close enough to be brought here as well, maybe finding it will shed some light on the subject. We'll discuss it with the others when we get back. Right now, we've got a party of six that need better food provisions than what we came equipped with. Hirato didn't expect us to be gone for more than two days tops."

Again, Yogi nodded and followed behind Gareki. It was rare for anyone to see this side of Gareki, but Yogi rather liked it. Sure, Gareki could put on the 'good boy' act when the time called for it, but the way he was acting right now felt genuine. Gareki had just reminded Yogi how he had been the first one to ever see him cry. He almost asked Gareki if this was the first time he'd ever been so genuinely nice to someone, too. But of course not, before meeting Circus, Gareki had already been with Nai, and before Nai, he had been adopted by Tsubaki and Tsubame's family. Surely, they had seen him like this before, right?

Gareki stopped and pointed out another area where something was moving in the bushes. He and Yogi quietly nodded to one another. Yogi understood how this was going to work, Gareki would survey the scene and give him the go ahead, allowing him to catch the animal, or animals with his vines. What neither of them were aware of was that they were also being hunted.

Gareki cautiously moved toward the bushes. He couldn't see anything there. He gave Yogi a signal to hang back and then moved further to the growth. There was another rustle a few feet ahead. "_Whatever it is,_" he thought, "_It's quick, seems to be the size of a dog. Wonder if I'm creeping up on a wolf?_"

Gareki and Yogi allowed too much distance between them. As soon as they were far enough apart, their own stalkers pounced. Yogi fell to the ground with a muffled yelp, as something jumped on top of him and covered his mouth. Yogi tried to wiggle free, only to find himself face-to-face with a young girl with curly pink pigtails and two black eyes with glowing red pupils. Yogi's eyes widened as he realized his attacker must be a Shiki like Tohru. Once again he attempted to wiggle free. "Mmmnh… Well hello, handsome," Megumi giggled coyly as she looked the blonde over. She smiled mischievously and licked her lips. "My, my, your blood smells amazing. It must be quite delicious. I'm going to move my hand now, but if you scream, it'll be the last thing you ever do. …Got it?" Yogi quietly nodded. "Good." She giggled, moving her hand away from his mouth. "I'll spare you for now. First, I have some questions for you." She smiled. "First off, are you from around here?" Yogi shook his head. "Aw, pooh!" she pouted, "I was hoping you'd know if there was a town nearby." She blinked and smiled again, an evil, wicked smile. "_If this guy's not from around here, then townsfolk wouldn't notice him missing,_" she thought. "Ok, so the second question. Have you seen any one else out here in these woods? A couple of teenaged boys. One's eighteen, got curly blonde hair, almost as messy as yours is, eyes kind of like mine, acts kind of like the village idiot; the other, about fifteen years old, cold and quiet, violet purple hair and eyes, really strong and handsome?"

"_Natsuno-Kun and Tohru-Chan?_" Yogi thought. "Are these people friends of yours?" Yogi asked.

"The younger one is," Megumi lied, "The blonde idiot stole him from me," she added snidely, turning her head to the left and upward, yet letting the gaze of her eyes shift downward toward the violet-eyed blonde.

Yogi shook his head. He knew she was lying. "No, I'm afraid I haven't seen anyone like that around here, I'm sorry," he told her. He was sharper than most people seemed to think, it didn't take him long to figure out this girl had a hand in what happened to Tohru.

"Megumi-Chan!" Tatsumi called. "It's not Natsuno, but I think you should have a look at this one," he said with a smile. The Jinrou was strong enough that he was carrying a struggling Gareki over his shoulder.

"Ga-Gareki!?" Yogi called.

Gareki stopped squirming long enough to face palm. "_Idiot,_" he thought, "_You got yourself captured too? I thought you were supposed to be watching my back!?_" As if Gareki wasn't embarrassed enough to be being carried like this, he didn't like the fact that Yogi got to see it. "_This is twice now he's seen me like this. I think it was less embarrassing when it was Iva, though._"

Tatsumi approached Megumi and Yogi and threw Gareki down on the ground. Before Gareki could even blink, Tatsumi caught Gareki's wrists and forced his hands behind his back, pulling the dark-haired boy so that he was sitting on his knees. Tatsumi smiled. "You were easy to lure, you know. You must have been desperate to find something to shoot with that little peashooter you've got on your hips."

Yogi blinked as he took in the sight of the brute that was holding Gareki down. This guy had blue-green hair in the shape of animal ears, it was almost cute if not for the nature of the guy wearing the style. He appeared to have a pair of fangs, like Tohru and the pink-haired girl, but his eyes weren't hollow sad or hollow soulless black and red like their's, they were yellow and lively, almost animalistic, like Nai's but nowhere near as innocent. Then there was the fact that in spite of his struggling, Gareki couldn't seem to get free from him; there had been very few Varuga who had even been strong enough to hold Gareki down. "_What in the world IS this guy?_" Yogi thought, almost horrified.

Megumi shifted so that she was sitting side-saddle style on Yogi's stomach and leaned in to get a better look at the squirming Gareki. She smiled and caught the dark-haired boy by the chin. His hair was black, and his eyes a beautiful shade of blue. Megumi giggled and blushed. "Oh my, he is a cutie! I almost hope Yuuki-Kun could forgive me for having such a wandering heart."

"_**Leave him alone!**_"


	10. 10 - Full Of Surprises

_**Author's Note:**_ I apologize for the delay in this chapter, but I spent all weekend reading Chapters 1-73 of the Karneval Manga. So, the most current chapter being #76 (that I was able to find), I'm officially all caught up, unless they've made any episodes past #13(which it doesn't appear they have, but I hope they do!) Which means as far as the Karneval characters are concerned, I'll be mixing Anime cannon with Manga cannon from here on. … I REALLY need to find the Shiki Manga and/or novel if I'm going to keep writing fanfics about it. _(…DON'T JUDGE ME!)_ The smile I'm referring to that Gareki makes when he's teasing Yogi is found in Manga Chapters 26 and 45. The closest I recall we ever see to it in the Anime is right after Nai tells Gareki that Karoku said Gareki had to leave or he would break (episode 3: Illusionary Picnic) and this may be the only time we've ever seen it without Yogi being the subject involved. Oh, and please don't hate me for what Megumi says about Yogi and Tohru! I'm just trying to write her in character, she and Kiichi would probably get along famously if she were still human. If it hasn't become obvious, the blondes are my favorite characters in all this! Oh, and by the way, I know I said shipping the boys wasn't going to be at the forefront of the story when I started, but it is still present. That said, there's still time to place bets on who's going to admit how they feel first, Natsuno or Gareki.

_**Chapter 10: Full of Surprises**_

The voice rang out clear and cold, warning the Okiagari not to harm the dark-haired teen. Blinking, Gareki and both Okiagari looked down at the blonde whom Megumi was still perched upon. Yogi's voice had been so stern, Gareki had almost expected to find Silver Yogi there. He was still his normal self, but there were signs that the Silver personality was trying to take over, even with his allergy patch still in place.

"_Damn it all!_" Gareki thought, "_I knew he hadn't been changing it!_"

Megumi frowned and hissed at the blonde. "What is it about you blonde idiots that make you think you can boss me around?" She turned and straddled Yogi's chest again, grabbing him by his shirt collar. "You're probably no different than Mutou-Kun; an idiotic pretty-boy man-child who doesn't know when and how to keep his hands to himself and thinks his smile is all he needs to charm someone off their feet, when you're really just a two-bit, cowardly nobody dumber than a sack of bricks!"

"_Well, except for the 'nobody' part, she pretty much hit the nail on the head,_" Gareki thought, looking away, "_Or at least that's how he plays it anyway. He's a lot more than he lets on, though._" Gareki looked back at the pink-haired Shiki. "I wouldn't provoke him any further if I were you," he warned.

Megumi looked back at Gareki. "Why not? This chump doesn't look threatening in the least."

"Oh, trust me. He's just full of surprises. He tries to avoid it, but when forced to fight, Yogi doesn't play around," Gareki assured her.

"YOGI?" Megumi asked, raising an eyebrow, a slight giggle in her voice. "You can't be serious?" She blinked and glanced down at the blonde she had pinned to the ground beneath her. She remembered once seeing a western cartoon bear with that name. She sneered at the thought. "Yeah," she shook her head, "Nobody named Yogi has the right to look this damned pretty." She smiled and giggled. "Ne, ne, Taatsuumii-kuun," she started in a sing-song voice, "is it alright if I hypnotize them both into being my thralls for the last remaining nights of their lives?"

"Both of them?" Tatsumi asked, "Come now, Megumi-Chan, be reasonable, I've got to feed too, you know!"

Megumi pouted. "Fine, then we each get one tonight, and then we swap tomorrow? It'll take two or three nights to drain them both like that, which will keep us fed for a while, anyway." She looked down at Yogi, "And something tells me it might take even longer for this one."

Tatsumi sighed. "Very well, which one would you rather have, first, then?"

"Well," she leaned in toward Gareki and smiled, "As handsome as this one is…" Tatsumi smirked, having expected her to look toward Gareki first. She surprised him however, as she turned back to Yogi, "I think I'll start with this one. He's going to learn he can't boss me around… And his blood smells SO much sweeter." Megumi gave an evil smile, baring her fangs.

Tatsumi smiled, and still holding both of Gareki's arms behind his back with one hand, grabbed hold of the boy's black hair with the other. "Watch carefully, now, because you're next," he chortled.

"_Y-Yogi…! NO!_" Gareki thought frantically, as he tried to look for some way out of this mess. "Get your damned hands off of him, you pink bitch!" Gareki exclaimed, kicking a nearby stick. Megumi let out a shriek as the stick hit her in the head. It stunned her. "Yogi, now's your chance, get up and run!"

"G-Ga…" Yogi started to object.

"Go! If this guy tries to run after you, then he'll be forced to let me go. Either way, he can't hold us both," Gareki insisted.

Yogi nodded, pushed the dazed Vampiress off of himself, and scrambled to his feet. Gareki was right, in order to give chase, Tatsumi would have to release him first. Yogi would have to find a way to double back and take the two Okiagari by surprise. But he'd have to do it quick!

"MEGUMI-CHAN!? Are you alright?" Tatsumi asked, rather surprised Gareki had managed to stun her.

"These guys are stronger than they look," she groaned holding her head. She looked up at Gareki, the red lights shining in her eyes. She growled in anger and lunged at him. Her prey had gotten away, and it was all this guy's fault. "You're going to regret that!" she hissed.

Before Megumi's fangs could even make contact with Gareki's neck, she and Tatsumi both found themselves wrapped in thorned vines and lifted off the ground. In surprise, Tatsumi released his hold on Gareki, dropping him back onto the ground. Gareki pushed himself onto all fours and looked upward at the two Okiagari. "Wh-What the hell's going on!?" they both exclaimed.

"Gareki, RUN!" Yogi's voice called. Yogi had hidden behind the trees while Tatsumi had been distracted with checking on Megumi. Gareki scrambled to his feet and made a break for it. They had been avoiding flying up until now, because it was something Natsuno, Tohru, and Nai couldn't do on their own, but now all bets were off. Yogi flew up next to Megumi and smiled at her. The post-human found the look of surprise on the faces of the Okiagari priceless. "Here's a little advice," he offered, "If you want to attack someone or talk down about them, be sure you know what they're capable of first." He smiled and added one last piece of advice, making sure to say it quietly enough that Gareki couldn't hear him, "And if you want to avoid heart-break in your future choices in men… Perhaps you shouldn't keep looking at guys who have been spoken for!" He smiled as the blush crossed her face, and in spite of having been caught up in the situation along with her, Tatsumi even found himself trying not to laugh at her. "You should be down in half an hour or so," he said, loud enough that everyone could hear him as he descended back to the ground.

"Yogi?" Gareki called from the tree line.

"Gareki-Kun? Garekiiii-Kuuun!" Yogi exclaimed, rushing to Gareki's side and throwing his arms around the teenager. "Are you alright? You're not hurt are you?" His violet eyes were full of worried tears.

Gareki sighed and rolled his eyes. Leave it to Yogi to get all worked up in a tizzy and assume the worst. "Get off, will you!" he scoffed as he rapped his knuckles against the blonde's forehead, "I'm fine. She didn't have time to bite me, if that's what you're worried about!" Gareki sighed and caught Yogi by the chin. "What about you?" he asked, tilting the blonde's head sideways to show the neckline. He heaved a quiet sigh of relief upon finding no signs of a puncture mark.

"You hit her before she had the chance," Yogi answered.

Gareki blinked. "What? What are you smiling about now?"

"You were worried about me back there, weren't you, Gareki-Kun?" Yogi giggled happily.

"No I wasn't!" Gareki denied, looking away.

"Aw, c'mon, Gareki-Kun!" Yogi pouted, "Don't be like that. Admit it, you were worried!"

"Ok, maybe I was worried," Gareki sighed. He had to think of a way to keep Yogi at a distance. "But not about you!" he lied. "You can handle yourself," he just barely audibly mumbled under his breath. "I warned her you were full of surprises. Tohru had mentioned earlier that the smell of your blood was extremely tempting, even without getting close to you, and that pink witch back there kept carrying on about how good it smelled to. If it's that good, and their blood absorbs the blood they drink into itself the way Varuga cells do, I don't want to imagine what would have happened if I had actually let her bite you."

Gareki quietly looked away from Yogi with a blush on his face. Of course Yogi's wellbeing was on the forefront of his mind at the time, but he couldn't bring himself to admit it. So, he brought up the last thing that had been on his mind instead. The second thing that had crossed his mind, he couldn't even voice his concerns over. Yogi knew nothing about his other personality. When Yogi's golden hair turns silver, he becomes a completely different person. He still had a playful nature; but he had a tendency to be sort of bully-like about it, and while normal Yogi hates to fight, the Silver Yogi loved it. This is something that according, to Akari-Sensei only happened once Yogi had used up all his energy in battle and his allergy patch was removed, especially if Yogi forgot to change it as often as he was supposed to. It would take putting the patch back on to return him to normal, and if he didn't his body would use up too much energy upholding that personality and kill them both. While Nai and Tsukumo had seen how Yogi behaves in that form, so far Gareki had been the only one around to actually see him transform. However, each time Yogi had transformed, Gareki had either been injured or in trouble. Just now, with the two Okiagari, Yogi hadn't used nearly enough power, and Gareki was uncertain if Yogi had changed his patch at all or not. What he did know was that when Yogi first warned Megumi to leave him alone, he could have sworn the silver personality was trying to surface.

Gareki sighed. "_I guess I gotta' give him SOME hope, if I don't leave enough bait to keep him dangling, he might just give me my walking papers, yet,_" Gareki thought. "Still…" he said softly, "I suppose I am glad you're alright." He smiled at Yogi. This was a smile that he only made when the situation involved playfully teasing Yogi. The first time had been when they met Yanari and he teased Yogi when the blonde made a frantic attempt to keep him out of a certain folder on his cell phone, insisting that the information within it was for work. To be completely honest, Gareki wouldn't have been surprised to look in it and find out Yogi had been taking pictures of him in his sleep or some other nonsense. The second had been shortly after he went to Kuronomei; the first and probably, if he thought about it, only time he ever replied to one of Yogi's text messages. He sighed and rustled a hand through Yogi's already messy hair. "C'mon, those two are going to be up there for a while, but they won't be there forever. I'd hate to go back to the others empty handed."

"You don't want to double back now?" Yogi asked.

"We came out here with the intent to bring back food for the others," Gareki reminded him, "So we can all eat and so that that Corpse Demon back at the cave," he held his hand in the direction of the cave, "doesn't do to them what the other two members of his clan just attempted to do to us!" He turned his hand pointing in the direction of Megumi and Tatsumi. "I'm not giving up on that now, just because of a bad run-in. Even if we are still out here when they get down, I have a feeling they're going to want to regroup before coming after us again. They shouldn't be a problem any further tonight."

"I suppose you're right," Yogi nodded, quietly, yet happily following behind Gareki. He didn't care how much Gareki denied it, he knew deep down Gareki had been worried about him, he'd seen it in Gareki's eyes. He just wished Gareki would say so.

Gareki smirked. "_Yogi, you're supposed to be the one in charge, yet you always tend to let me give the orders,_" he thought, "_Sometimes I think you're a bit too submissive._"


	11. 11 - Nightmare

_**Author's Note:**_ Don't worry, we're not done focusing on Gareki and Yogi, just yet, but Natsuno and Tohru get a little more time in the spotlight in this chapter, as Tohru recollects his memories of the night that Natsuno was forced to watch Megumi attack him. Though, this chapter does still serve as a commentary on how much of Yogi's mannerisms Gareki actually pays attention to.

_**Chapter 11: Nightmares**_

On their way back to the cave, Gareki and Yogi stopped to listen as a sound pierced through the otherwise still night air. "Did that sound like a clock bell to you?" Gareki asked.

"Yeah, it did," Yogi answered. "Think that means there's a town nearby?"

"Possible. We'll check it out after we drop off our haul," Gareki suggested.

"Good idea," Yogi nodded.

_**Meanwhile **_

Tatsumi and Megumi were finally free of the vines that had held them in the air. However, they had not been let down gently, but the vines simply deteriorated, crumbled, and dropped them to the ground, which they had been held at least a good five feet above. Much to Megumi's chagrin, Tatsumi landed on top of her. "DAMN IT ALL!" the pink haired Shiki growled.

Tatsumi quickly jumped off of her. "Sorry, Megumi-Chan, are you alright?" he asked, helping her up and dusting off her dress.

"No, I'm not alright! Who the hell were those… those… CIRCUS FREAKS?" she was unaware of the irony behind her statement.

"I don't know, but we won't let them get away with humiliating us like that," Tatsumi assured her. "If they have that kind of power, imagine what we could do once we've drank their blood."

The two Okiagari began to laugh as they realized the power they maybe able to obtain. Their laughter was interrupted however, as the bell rang through the air. "KYAAA!" Megumi shrieked, covering her ears with her hands. "Tatsumi-Kun, it's that bell again!" she whimpered.

Tatsumi looked around. "Strange," he surmised, "It sounds closer tonight."

_**Meanwhile **_

The bell rang out several times as Gareki and Yogi reached the cave. Nai was skittering back and forth in front of the cave entrance, twitching in every direction, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. Gareki tried not to laugh when he saw this, as he pictured Nai running around like this in his Niji form. "Ah, Gareki, Yogi!" Nai greeted the two of them. "Welcome back! Do you two know where that sound is coming from?"

"Not yet, but we intend to go check it out," Gareki answered.

"Welcome back you, two," Tsukumo greeted them, peeking out of the entrance. She gave a quiet smile when she saw the thorn cages Yogi had been carrying. "Oh wow, good job, guys," she complemented them.

"Tsukumo-Chan," Gareki asked, quietly pulling her to the side, "Have you looked through any of the provisions we have with us?"

"Yes, why?" she answered.

"Do you remember noticing if that idiot brought any spare patches with him, I don't think he's changed the one he's got on since we got here," Gareki grumbled.

"Oh my! I don't remember seeing any, but I'll look again," she said, ducking back inside the cave.

The bell rang out one last time. "I guess it's ten-o'clock?" Yogi said, having kept count of the rings.

"Kya! Make it stop already!" Tohru whimpered, pushing himself as far against the wall of the cave as he possibly could.

"What's his deal?" Gareki asked.

"Tohru-Chan!" Natsuno caught hold of the timid Shiki. "It's alright," he assured him. Natsuno looked up at Gareki with a sigh. "It's the bell," he explained, "Bells and metallic rings frighten Okiagari."

Gareki noticed Natsuno was acting a bit languid in his speech and movements. He seized the fifteen year old by the shoulder and pulled him to his feet. "That bite looks fresh," he commented. "I thought the whole purpose of tying him up was to prevent him from biting anyone?" Gareki's eyes turned back to Tohru. "I've had about all I can stand of your kind tonight," he scoffed.

"Let go," Natsuno demanded, shrugging Gareki off, "And leave him alone! I let him take just enough to heal his injuries because I didn't know how long you two would be gone."

"My kind?" Tohru asked, looking up at Gareki.

"Wait…?" Natsuno spun around and looked Gareki in the eyes. "You mean you ran into…?"

"Some pink-haired bitch who insisted this blonde idiot had stolen you from her, and some weird-ass furry with green hair shaped like animal ears," Gareki answered.

Tohru and Natsuno both stifled a laugh. "That describes those two perfectly," Natsuno said, rolling his eyes. He knelt down next to Tohru and untied him. "Shimizu has been stalking me since I first moved into Sotoba, long before she ever became a Shiki. I was NEVER hers, and I never will be."

"Tatsumi-Kun is a servant to the queen of the Shiki clan. He serves as a caregiver for the 'fledglings' and keeps order in the ranks, but he is a cold hearted killing machine, and a sadist, through and through," Tohru said. He gave Natsuno a quiet 'Thank you' smile as the purple-haired teen untied him, and rubbed his wrists from where the ropes had held them.

"I sort of gathered that when he tried to force me to watch her bite Yogi, telling me I was next," Gareki replied.

Natsuno and Tohru both froze, looking at each other wide-eyed for a moment. In the blink of an eye, Tohru was on his feet and at Yogi's side, looking the violet-eyed blonde's neck over, while Natsuno was doing the same to Gareki. "And you're chewing me out for letting him bite me tonight?" Natsuno scolded. "They actually caught you?"

"It doesn't look like she bit him," Tohru sighed, forcing himself to back away from Yogi before the smell of the post human's blood got him all worked up.

"Yeah, well it never looked like she'd bitten you, either!" Natsuno reminded him. He sighed. "Gareki looks clean too."

"Wait…?" Tohru whipped around to face Natsuno, a confused look on his face, his left arm straight flat at his side, his right fist clenched at the center of his chest. "What do you mean there were no signs of me being bitten?"

Natsuno's eyes widened a little when he heard this question. Tohru really didn't know? "You're an enigma, Tohru-Chan," Natsuno sighed, leaning against the wall, his hands tucked inside his pants pockets and his left leg crossed in front of his right knee. "There were no traces of you being bitten the night she bit you, I was there when Ozaki-Sensei pronounced you dead and he never mentioned any wounds where she had bitten you. I asked your father to let me see your face at your funeral, your neck was exposed, there was nothing to suggest you'd been bitten. That's the first thing that makes your existence as a Shiki odd. The other things; unlike your clansmen, you don't kill your human prey, and you didn't have any regrets to hold you to the mortal coil. What do you remember about the last night I saw you alive?"

"That's where you're wrong, Natsuno," Tohru sighed. "I did have some regrets. But to answer your question, do you mean before or after going to bed?"

"Any of it," Natsuno replied.

"I threw Masao-Kun out again after he attacked you for being so nonchalant about Megumi's death. I wasn't about to let a fight break out in my room, and while you were smarter and younger than him, it didn't change the fact that you were still bigger and stronger. He took it as me siding with you, but I was just trying to keep the peace," Tohru admitted.

"You were probably worried I'd send him flying through your TV and break your precious game consol or something," Natsuno snorted.

"Ouch," Tohru flinched. "Y-Yeah, sort of," he timidly admitted. "After that, you fell asleep on my bed and I had to fight to move you to the pallet on the floor. I didn't go to bed right away once I got you there, though. I… stayed up and played my game a bit more." Tohru put a finger to his lips and shyly looked away from Natsuno.

Natsuno and Gareki both raised an eyebrow. "_Did he just gloss over something there?_" they both thought.

Yogi almost knew what Tohru was hiding, if he'd ever had the chance with Gareki, he would have done it too. Tohru had in fact purposely skipped a detail, as soon as he was certain Natsuno was asleep, he had leaned against the purple haired teen, using him as a, rather comfortable, prop pillow while he played his game. Masochistic glutton for punishment that he was when it came to Natsuno, even he wouldn't admit to doing things behind Natsuno's back in order to bring it on himself. "Once I finally got tired, I went to bed. I vaguely recall hearing my door open and Aoi-Chan relenting that we were both already asleep, so she'd have to ask Tamotsu to help her with her homework. It was right about then that my body went numb, and I fell into a deep sleep." Tohru blinked, shook his head and put his hand to it. "God, I had tried to block that nightmare out of my mind. How…? Why did it suddenly come flooding back?"

"Nightmare?" Natsuno asked, walking over to Tohru and putting a gentle hand on the blonde Shiki's shoulder. "_That night certainly was a nightmare,_" Natsuno thought, casting his eyes to the floor, shivering a little, as he remembered the pink-haired Okiagari climbing out from under Tohru's bed with her empty soulless eyes, smiling down at him.

Tohru nodded with a soft whimper. "Uh-huh… I'd never had such a dream before," he started. "I had… In the dream, I had opened my eyes to find myself in some sort of black void. It was pitch black dark, I could see myself and nothing else. Suddenly, a pair of hands seized my throat. I could tell they were hands by their black outline, and cold and clammy as they were, I knew they were human, but I had no way of knowing who's. I tried to call out for help or to get away, but I couldn't speak, I couldn't move. It was as if I was paralyzed on the spot. I couldn't see my attacker, just a pair of glowing red orbs where their eyes should have been, and I could sense their intent to kill. There was no one I could think of who would have wanted to harm me. I was friends with everyone in Sotoba, the only person who would have had anything against me was Shimizu, and as far as I knew, she was dead. The only thing my mind could process was Masao-Kun being mad at me, still thinking I had sided with you against him."

Natsuno tried not to laugh, "I wouldn't put it past the scrawny freak. With Megumi dead, the only people he had left to lust over were you and Aoi-Chan."

"Eh!?" Tohru's entire face went stone cold for a moment, then turned bright red. He stood straight and stiff, both arms at his sides with his fists clenched. Closing his eyes, he tossed his head violently back and forth trying to dislodge the mental image Natsuno had just given him. Tohru had liked Masao well enough as a friend, but the idea that Sotoba's long-haired, lanky, pale-faced, resident creepy kid had thought of him as anything more than that did not sit well with him. "_THAT would explain a lot of his transgressions against Natsuno. Megumi liked Natsuno and wouldn't give Masao the time of day, then Aoi-Chan and I both also… GYAH!_" Tohru thought. "No! No, no, no!" he exclaimed out loud, "Oh I think I'm gonna' be sick…" Tohru sank to his knees, letting the shock set in. "Oh my God, that explains so much…"

The others blinked at Tohru. This was an unexpected reaction. "Seriously?" Natsuno asked, "You never noticed? You never even suspected?" He smirked. "_That's my loveable, oblivious,_" he thought to himself. "…Idiot!" he finished out loud. The others all noticed his tone sounded more endearing than scolding when he said it this time, they even detected traces of a stifled laugh in his voice.

Tohru sighed, having finally calmed down over the shock. He brushed his blonde curls away from his face and looked up at them. "Anyway, as I said, I couldn't move, I couldn't plead with whoever it was to let me go. I felt my chest tighten and my breathing became fast and labored, I had to strain for any air to get through. My heart didn't know if it should slow down or speed up. The person who had attacked me forced me to the nonexistent ground and I saw a flash of white teeth grin down at me as my strength began to leave me. Then suddenly, your voice pierced through the deafening silence. I heard you shout at the person to leave me alone and suddenly, I could see you, not my attacker, but you and myself, we were all I could see. You pulled them off of me and threw them to the side. As the me in the dream lost consciousness, I could hear you calling for me to answer you. When the dream version of myself passed out completely, that's when I woke up for real to find you standing over my bed." Tohru and Natsuno both blushed and Tohru looked down at the floor. "I remember when I woke up, you sank to your knees, burying your head into the side of my bed with an exasperated sigh. I sat up and asked what was wrong, thinking that you'd heard me thrashing about in my sleep after such a nightmare, or that perhaps you had had one yourself. You grumbled that it was all a pointless waist of time," Tohru began talking with his hands and eyes at this point, holding up his index finger and looking up at Natsuno, "Laid back down," he pointed his eyes and fingers back to the floor, "pulled the covers back over your head," his eyes stayed still but he twirled his finger in a circular motion, "rolled so you were facing away from me," his eyes glanced to the left, while he gracefully flicked his finger in the same direction, "and told me go back to sleep," his finger stayed still, but he blinked. Gareki raised an eyebrow, this style of explaining the situation was exactly how he expected Nai or Yogi to have done it as well. Tohru looked back up at Natsuno and blinked. "Natsuno, your voice was what pulled me out of that nightmare. Somehow, I had gotten the feeling that if you hadn't woke me I would have died there and then. But you saved me that night."

Natsuno sighed and extended his hand to help Tohru back to his feet. None of it made sense. Tohru's dream was symbolic of what Megumi was doing to him, and Natsuno had been forced to watch it, himself paralyzed from the waist down, only for whatever Megumi and Tatsumi had released into the room to leave him feeling as though he'd dreamt it all. But never were there any signs that Tohru had actually been attacked. Had she bitten him somewhere else that the doctor wouldn't have thought to check and the drugs that had paralyzed him allowed her to set it so that in Natsuno's mind she had gone for the throat? Was there even something that could make such an illusion possible?

Natsuno rewound the conversation to where Tohru had stated there were some regrets to hold him here. He opened his mouth in attempt to ask what those had been, but before he could even utter a single word…

"KYAH!" Tohru exclaimed, throwing his hands to his ears and burying his head into Natsuno's chest without even thinking about what he was doing. The bell had sounded again. "Not again, make it stop," the frightened Shiki whimpered.

Gareki and Yogi blinked and looked at each other. "Is it me?" Gareki asked.

"No. It sounds like it's getting closer," Yogi answered.

"Should we go check it out?" Gareki suggested.

Yogi nodded, his swords materializing in his hands. "Nai-Chan," he called.

"Yes, Yogi?" Nai asked, peeking back inside the cave.

"Which direction is that sound coming from?" Gareki asked.

"It sounds like it's close to the hot springs," Nai answered.

"Right, stay inside with Tohru-Chan and Natsuno," Gareki ordered.

"Tsukumo-Chan, Gareki and I are going to see what's making all this racket," Yogi informed her, "Stay on alert here, alright?"

Tsukumo nodded, "You can count on me."

Yogi and Gareki nodded at each other and flew out of the cave. "You guys can fly?" Natsuno asked in surprise, once the two were already outside. Tsukumo only smiled and quietly nodded.

"Say, Gareki?" Yogi quietly questioned, once the two of them were alone.

Gareki blinked, that was not once, but twice tonight Yogi had dropped the honorific, calling him 'Gareki' rather than the usual 'Gareki-Kun'. Not that Gareki really cared, or ever thought about it, but tonight just may have been the first time since they met that Yogi had ever addressed him in such a fashion. "What is it, Yogi?" Gareki replied.

"I've been avoiding bringing this up, but the more we've heard about how the Shiki become a Shiki, and the way they work, it sounds more and more like they are their world's version of Varuga," he said reluctantly.

"Their world?" Gareki repeated, his eyes shifting toward Yogi. "Apparently I'm not the only one who thought about that possibility. Natsuno's pretty sharp, I'm sure even he's come to the conclusion we've been displaced to another world or dimension, no matter how outlandish the idea sounds to him. But the fact that the alternate world theory came to you without someone having to explain it…?" Gareki stopped when Yogi frowned at him. He blinked and reminded himself Yogi wasn't as stupid as he pretended to be. "Yes, I agree there are several similarities between Shiki and Varuga; their need to feed on people being the biggest. However, Varuga; their minds deteriorate and they forget the differences between right and wrong, and the host body doesn't necessarily die. They also eat the entire human. Shiki, it seems only need the blood, and their minds don't deteriorate. They're held here by regrets or bad life experiences after having been killed. They don't forget the difference between right and wrong, they simply learn to ignore it, loosing their humanity, while their minds remain whole. Tohru is an example of that," he begrudgingly admitted, "He realizes there's no need to kill the donor unnecessarily and is willing to resort to animals even when he knows it's less beneficial for him."

"That's why I've been avoiding bringing it up," Yogi sighed. "As members of Circus, it's our mission to eliminate Kafka and the Varuga. Shiki bare so much in common, it almost worries me that if they had been teleported to our world, we would have been ordered to kill them as well."


	12. 12 - Smarter Than I Look

_**Author's Note:**_ Just a fair warning, there's spoiler content for Karneval, Anime & Manga alike, in this chapter. Honestly, I was sort of expecting them to go that route with it anyway.

**_Chapter 12: Smarter Than I Look_**

Gareki reluctantly acknowledged Yogi's concerns. "I can understand why you were hesitant to say anything back at the cave. That's not something we can discuss freely in front of Natsuno," he stated, "He's already to the point he's willing to fight to the death to protect Tohru. That little Corpse Demon is the one person that means the world to him. It's true, if they had been in our world, we would have been ordered to kill them, even if they're not Varuga, simply because there are so many similarities, the risk would be too great of the two species combining to make a whole new, deadlier species." Gareki's eyes quietly shifted toward Yogi, and he sighed as he thought to himself, "_I know how I would feel if someone told me I had to kill you because of your Silver personality. I imagine it would be no different for Natsuno if someone asked him to do the same to Tohru simply because of what he's become._" Gareki understood all too well what was going on with Natsuno. Natsuno had already lost his best friend once, Tohru had to die to become a Shiki after all. Gareki thought about Yotaka and Tsubaki. Naturally, if someone you cared about came back from the dead, you'd want to do everything within your power to hold on to them, to keep them safe and never loose them again. His eyes remained on Yogi, his thoughts now on Yogi, Nai, Tsukumo, and Tsubame, if it were to come to the same scenario with any of them, Yogi and Nai especially, he would definitely behave the same way Natsuno is now. He had to change the subject, before they both got depressed. "On a more relevant note; what do you think about this bell we're hearing? None of us heard it last night, but tonight we've heard it twice, and it sounds like it's moving."

"A Varuga combined with a clock," Yogi replied.

"Oh, what the hell?" Gareki scoffed, stopping mid flight, "I ask a serious question, and that's the first thing your mind goes to; a Varuga combined with a clock?"

Yogi stopped and turned to face Gareki, with an adorably confused look on his face, he tucked his hands behind his back and tilted his head to the side a little. "Why not?"

"Up until now, Varuga have only combined with humans and animals, organic material, right?" Gareki pointed out. Yogi nodded. "The enter workings of a clock are metal."

"But, think about the bell we're hearing, Gareki," Yogi suggested, "It sounds like a Grandfather Clock, or a Cuckoo Clock at the very least. Their outer frames are wood, which is from trees, which are plants, which are organic."

Gareki blinked, Yogi sounded serious, and what's worse, Gareki was half inclined to admit it almost made sense. He couldn't believe he was actually listening to this. "But for a clock to be made out of wood, the tree would be dead. Don't Varuga only merge with living tissue?"

"If the wood was treated hastily and thus improperly, insects could still get inside the grain," Yogi answered.

Gareki shook his head, trying to understand where Yogi was going with this. "But then why not assimilate with the insects rather than the whole damned clock?"

Yogi smirked, for every counter argument Gareki had, the blonde already seemed to have an explanation. "Insects are small, and even if an entire swarm becomes a single Varuga, they can only reach a certain size before their own internal organs stop working. Assimilating the entire clock would allow for a larger body frame."

"Ok, I'll give you that one," Gareki nodded. "Though, if that were the case, I would think a marionette would still be more preferable than a clock. A marionette carrying a clock for a play or something, may be a little easier to swallow than just a simple clock. That would allow for size and mobility. Even so, why a clock? Most Varuga have a purpose for the shape they take over, don't they?"

Yogi smiled again. His next answer was a good slap in the face to remind Gareki just how smart he really was. Some of his studies from his days as a prince had stayed with him after all these years. "Space-time distortion!"

Gareki blinked. "Space-Time dis…" he started. He shook his head, "I think I'm starting to understand where you're going with this."

Yogi smiled and gave a soft giggle, realizing he'd made a breakthrough. He actually thought Gareki would take a lot longer to admit he'd bested him in such a conversation. "Think about it, Gareki," again, he had dropped the honorific, "Such a thing isn't impossible. When Nai tried to give Karoku back his…err…your…eh…" Yogi shook his head, Gareki raised an eyebrow noticing that Yogi was avoiding assigning the word 'Mother' to Nie in regards to himself and Karoku. "When Nai tried to give Karoku back Nie Arumerita's ID bracelet, the moment they both touched it, they were transported off the ship to Satanika. When you tried to call Nai during our attempt to locate them, you too were transported there. When we rescued Karoku from Kafka, you and Nai had to enter another dimension in order to find him. This is proof that distortion and rearrangement of the space-time continuum is possible. Suppose the lab we were sent to investigate was not only working on, but successfully managed to create a Varuga capable of the same thing? That's why the clock would be relevant, maybe it's only capable of using its abilities whenever the clock strikes a new hour or something?"

"So, what you're getting at is that a Varuga capable of traveling through space and time was present at the mansion, it's presence during the explosion reached through space and time not only in our world, but in Natsuno and Tohru's world to the same position and pulled us all into a third world?" Gareki asked.

"More or less." Yogi smiled and ruffled a hand through Gareki's hair. "Good job, Gareki, I knew you'd figure it out," he giggled.

There, he did it again. That's the fourth time Yogi had ever simply said his name without all the melodramatics of adding some sort of formal title to it. It was awkward to realize it, but Gareki actually thought it felt sort of comforting to hear Yogi say it that way. Though, he wondered if Yogi was even aware he was doing it. Gareki brushed Yogi off. "Damn it all, Yogi! I told you not to treat me like a child." He blushed and turned his head away from the blonde prince. His eyes shifted back towards Yogi, and caught on to the smile dancing inside those violet eyes. "You're just begging for me to hit you, aren't you?" Gareki smirked.

"You've been bullying me less and less, lately, Gareki-Kun," Yogi giggled, moving backwards, to keep a safe distance between himself and Gareki's arms. "I don't know how to take it, but…it's kind of…nice."

"Y-Yogi… I…" Gareki bit his lip and shook his head. Now was not the time for such nonsense, they had something they needed to be checking out. He smirked and realized exactly how to turn around what he was about to say, "I sometimes forget you're smarter than you like to let everyone think. I'll humor your theory for now. Let's go find out if you're right, eh?"

Yogi smiled and nodded. "Let's," he happily chirped his agreement.


	13. 13 - Not Ready

_**Chapter 13:Not Ready**_

Yogi and Gareki flew towards the hot springs. The sound of the bell became louder and louder the closer they got to it. As they passed through, they noticed none of the forest's resident fauna was present, as if they were unaccustomed to hearing this sound and had fled from its wake. "Well, if that's not foreboding, I don't know what is," Yogi muttered.

"The animals are already pretty illusive, as we learned tonight," Gareki said, landing on a tree branch and looking around, "But I don't even hear so much as a cicadae or night owl. Just that bell. Maybe it isn't a clock at all?"

"But sure sounds like one," Yogi sighed, landing next to Gareki.

"I was inclined to agree with you," Gareki begrudgingly admitted, placing his right hand on the base of the tree and leaning into it, as Yogi couched down next to him. "It sounded like one, even struck enough times to sound like a ten o'clock chime… But, we hadn't even been in the cave for an hour listening to Tohru before it struck again, had we?"

Yogi shook his head, looking depressed that his initial theory might have been wrong. "Couldn't have been. I think if we had been there that long, Nai-Chan would have interrupted us asking for something to eat. He's a loveable kid, but he has a voracious appetite at eleven pm. It's like his internal clock tries to get an hour ahead of the midnight munchies."

Gareki raised an eyebrow. "I always wondered where that little runt was sneaking off to before I left for Kuronomei," he smirked, "Let me guess, you know this because you were always right there raiding the fridge along with him, right?"

Yogi flinched as he heard Gareki snort a stifled chuckle. "Caught me red handed," Yogi whimpered.

Gareki smiled, clearly Yogi was expecting a scolding for contributing to Nai's delinquency. Gareki turned to face Yogi and leaned his back against the tree, his arms crossed, and his left foot planted firmly against the tree, figuring that his silence in the issue was punishment enough. "So, where does that leave us?" Gareki asked, his eyes quietly scanning the area around the hot springs. "Clearly there's something here that's got the native wildlife frightened, and while our Okiagari 'friends," he used the term loosely with a slight begrudging tone, "may be part of the problem, I can't help feeling there's something bigger. … Tsk…" Gareki quietly continued to look around. If there had indeed been a Varuga transported with them, then why had they not found it yet? How many innocent living organisms had been devoured by it while they were taking it easy in the cave? How strong was it? Those bells had originally sounded like they were counting the hour, but they had become more frequent, erratic, and louder, yet now that they had reached the area they believed it to be coming from, and it had fallen completely silent again.

The only sound either of them could detect was the soft quiet rasps of their breath. They almost wished they had brought Nai along to listen for it. Gareki put a hand to his mouth, trying to think. This whole thing was becoming too puzzling to simply turn around and head back to the cave to put off for another night. He barely realized he'd bitten his finger until he realized the taste of blood. Blinking, he quickly pulled his hand away from his face. Yogi looked up, having noticed Gareki's flinch. "Gareki-Kun?" he sprung to his feet and caught hold of Gareki's hand. "Are you alright?" He knew Gareki easily got lost in thought when he tried to concentrate on something, but he'd never seen him like this.

"I… I'm fine, Yogi," Gareki sighed. "I was concentrating more on what's going on around here and not paying attention, that's all." He glanced away, hoping to God that it was dark enough that even under the moonlight Yogi couldn't see the blush that he knew was trying to sweep his face. Everything around them had grown still and quiet.

The moon was full and high, there were no insects chirping, no frogs croaking, no owls hooting or nightingales singing. The bell had stopped completely. They heard their own breaths, the bubbling of the hot spring beneath where they sat, and the gentle whistle of the wind as it rustled through the leaves of the trees. If Gareki had been the sort to go for that kind of 'sentimental crap', he probably would have found the whole scenario a bit romantic. The blush on Gareki's face grew brighter when he felt Yogi's grip tighten ever so slightly on his hand.

"Ne, Gareki-Kun," Yogi said quietly, almost shyly.

"What?" Gareki asked.

"You didn't answer me earlier," Yogi persisted. He sighed and shifted his eyes to the ground. "You know I will never tell anyone about the time you cried asking me to take you with me to save Nai-Chan. I was sorry that I had to see you like that, but also felt honored that you trusted me enough to allow me to be the one to see that side of you. I understand that you wanted to go to Kuronomei because you began to think you weren't as strong as you once believed yourself to be," Yogi knew Gareki could haul off and hit him at any minute as he brought this up, but he didn't care, he felt it needed to be said, and out of all the people in the world who beat him up and tossed him around, Gareki was the one person he actually didn't care about such treatment from. "You thought you were becoming a burden to us and wanted to go to Kuronomei to become stronger. I get that. But Gareki, I never saw you that way. I don't believe any of us did. I know Kiichi-Chan and Jiki told you that you were just a sacrificial pawn to keep Nai-Chan complacent. Knowing how Kiichi-Chan looks down on us on the Second Ship, I knew she was bullying you two when you were sent to stay with them while I was in the hospital after Rinoll. But Gareki, none of that was true. We on the Second Ship had begun to consider you and Nai-Chan as family."

Gareki raised an eyebrow. "_I think he's deviated from his own point?_" he thought.

Gareki startled a little when Yogi looked back up at him. Those beautiful violet eyes were already looking weepy, as if Yogi were on the verge of tears. But nothing had been said or done to cause them, yet. But something was different about the look in Yogi's eyes. This wasn't going to be a torrent of tears from Yogi's over-reactive worrying. Those beautiful purple jewels told another story, Yogi was pouring his heart out to Gareki, here and now, and being completely honest with him. These tears were real. "Why did you come back to Second Ship after you got certified? Was it only for Nai-Chan, or did you think you were coming back to try and show the rest of us you didn't need us?"

"_Oh God, Yogi, don't do this to me now,_" Gareki thought. He couldn't stand seeing those tears in Yogi's eyes. Yogi was always the happy-go-lucky one, the one who made everyone smile, even when Nai became depressed and couldn't do anything to cheer them up. Gareki had initially mistook Yogi's constant happiness, even at times when he clearly should have been mad or sad as weakness. He'd thought crying in front of someone was showing his own weaknesses, too. But gradually, he'd found himself wrong about Yogi. He was always showing the rest of the world a smile, regardless of the situation. That wasn't his weakness, that was his strength, hiding when he was truly hurt over something. To see the blonde prince like this just didn't sit well with him. That sweet smile of his, and his gentle laugh alone had gotten Gareki through more situations with his sanity in tact more times than he was ever willing to admit.

However, Gareki had an idea what Yogi was really fishing for here. It wasn't something Gareki was certain he was ready to admit, though it was something Nai and Natsuno had been calling him out on ever since everyone first met up at the cave. Natsuno had been doing so, because he was in the same predicament, Nai had done so because his simple innocence didn't allow him to understand what he was doing or what was wrong with doing so. "Nai had something to do with it, yes. However, there was more reason than Nai alone," Gareki answered honestly. "But I did NOT come back to simply rub it in your faces that I had gotten stronger. Yogi, stop and think for a moment." Gareki sighed, he knew how to calm Yogi down without directly giving the answer he knew the blonde was looking for. "_If we do this here and now, so soon after being reunited, nothing will ever be the way it was. I had hoped to do this in my own time, when I thought we were both ready for it,_" he silently worried, "_But I can't stand seeing you look at me like that._" Gareki glanced away and cleared his throat, "No I didn't return to rub it in your faces that I had gotten stronger, as if I didn't need you anymore." Yogi flinched, feeling Gareki's hand suddenly clench his own tighter as the dark-haired teen looked back up at him. "I came back, because telling the sheep 'I'm home' had actually started feeling comfortable. Because after the burden I had felt I had been to all of you, I wanted to do something to prove how grateful I was for all the times you guys had pulled me out of a jam. I wanted to return to the Second Ship as a useful member of the crew and family. I went to Kuronomei realizing that with Karoku rescued, as a civilian, there was no reason for me to be allowed on board the ship anymore. But if forced to leave, I had nowhere else to go. I would have been forced to return to my life as a thief, and that wasn't what I wanted."

Gareki gave Yogi one of his whatever smiles. "_I watched as Kafka and the Varuga hurt Karoku and several other innocent people. I watched as they made Nai cry. I know what they've done to you and the truth about your family, it was down right cruel to put such an innocent child through what you had to go through. My own life has been trespassed upon by them several times over the years. I was tired of watching the ones I loved and cared for be put in danger because of these monsters, when I had no way to stand at their side and help them. That's why I went to Kuronomei. But I came back to the Second Ship so I could be with the ones who truly meant the world to me,_" he thought to himself.

Gareki sighed, hoping that answer would be enough to satisfy Yogi, and prevent those dazzling violet eyes from becoming blood red from the tears that were trying to sully them. Yogi blinked at him and smiled. He closed his eyes, unaware that Gareki had noticed their moistness, tilted his head, and smiled. "Gareki," he said cheerfully. "Gareki-Kun!" He started to lunge in for a hug, not bothering to ask Gareki for permission this time, throwing caution to the wind.

"Oi!" Gareki's voice stopped him. Yogi blinked his eyes open curiously. "How long do you intend to keep holding my hand like that?"

Yogi blinked again and blushed, his eyes slowly, sheepishly shifting to their left hands. The blood from where Gareki had bit himself had been a valid excuse for Yogi to grab hold in the first place, but it had been a small wound that healed quickly. Yogi's face turned a little redder, he swallowed a gulp of air and quietly gave Gareki a nervous grin. The blonde closed his eyes, expecting a fist to the face, only to find Gareki slapping his hand away instead. "Sorry, I was worried about you," Yogi said with a chuckle as he rubbed his hand and wrist in the area that stung from Gareki's slap. "_I guess that could have been worse,_" he thought to himself. He quietly glanced at Gareki and smiled. "_But, what Gareki said just now… Maybe he thought I wouldn't notice it, but there was hidden meaning behind those words. Perhaps there's hope for me yet?_" Yogi's eyes locked onto Gareki. The dark-haired teen was gorgeous under the full moonlight. Yogi's lips curled upward in a Cheshire cat-like grin. He knew what kind of pain he was about to have inflicted upon himself, but he didn't care, he couldn't resist the urge to tease. A playful chuckle escaped his throat. "So who's the crush?" It was worth seeing Gareki's face turn completely red before being knocked from the tree into the hot spring below.


	14. 14 - Loveable Idiots

_**Author's Note:**_ Sorry Tsukumo fans, I'm about to give her a brief out-of-character moment here. She's not had a whole lot of foreground in the story at all, because to me her presence never really stood out. I don't hate her, but they really didn't give her a lot of time to develop her character beyond 'serious about work' and remorseful that she never spent enough time with everyone after being captured on Rinoll. I love her, but she needs some more screen time to let us learn what she's like.

_**Chapter 14: Loveable Idiots**_

Yogi and Gareki eventually gave up on finding the creature for the night. The bells had stopped, the nocturnal wildlife had begun to stir again. Whatever had spooked the animals was long gone. On top of that, Yogi was now dripping wet from head to toe after being thrown into the hot spring, and they were both starving. They had spent the larger majority of the night hunting the deer and rabbits they had carried back to the others, it was only fair that they get some while the meat was still fresh.

Yogi had no change of clothes, and no towel to dry off with. Gareki made him fly all the way back, drenched, in the night air as punishment for his childish antics; though promising he'd find something for him once they made it back, until his clothes dried by the fire. While he didn't want Yogi to get sick, in all honesty, Gareki thought the wet look suited the prince. They were welcomed back in unison by everyone. Nai welcoming them back with a mouthful of deer meat.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Nai! I won't help you if you choke on it," Gareki scolded.

Nai gave a soft "Nmmbh," with a nod to show he understood. He finished chewing the food in his mouth and swallowed. "Welcome back!" he greeted them again, leaping to his feet and running to Gareki. Everyone froze watching Nai. Maybe Gareki wasn't the only one who had mental images of the hybrid child running around in his Niji form.

"Yogi? What happened?" Tsukumo exclaimed, once she realized the blonde prince was dripping wet.

Everyone but Nai blushed a little. They all silently agreed with Gareki, the wet look was kind of nice on him. "The idiot slipped off a tree branch while we were staking out the hot spring," Gareki answered. "Do we have anything for him to change into?"

Tsukumo narrowed her eyes at Gareki. "Slipped?" she asked quietly. "He didn't have any help with that slip, did he, Gareki-Kun?"

"Come on, Tsukumo-Chan?" Yogi spoke up, "Does Gareki-Kun seem like the kind of guy who'd push me off a tree into the hot spring?"

"YES!" came the resounding, unanimous reply from the others.

Gareki flinched, but tried to ignore the comment. He began looking through their provisions. His face turning stone cold for a moment as he looked through one bag. "What the actual hell?" he scoffed.

"Eh?" Yogi asked quizzically, as he turned toward Gareki, just in time to have the head of his beloved Nyanperowna costume hit him in the face at full force of Gareki's throw.

"You actually brought this stupid thing with you!?" Gareki exclaimed.

Natsuno and Tohru both raised an eyebrow. "Is that…?" Tohru started to ask.

"The head for a fur suit costume?" Natsuno finished the question, almost exasperated.

"Gyah!" Yogi exclaimed quickly tossing the Nyanperowna costume in Tohru's direction. "That's just cruel Gareki! You'll get Nyanperowna all wet throwing hir to me when I'm like this!"

"Nyanperowna?" Tohru blinked at the costume head he held in his hands.

"Stupid name for a stupid costume," Natsuno grumbled turning to walk away.

Tohru looked the head of the costume over. It was a large yellow cat face with a pair of baby blue horns on the top of its head, and a big red bow with blue polka dots tied to its left ear, big, round, anime-like amethyst colored eyes with eyelashes that matched the horns, and a light pink nose. The fabric for the color of the inside of the ears matched the bow. "Too cute!" Tohru commented. Natsuno froze in his tracks and slapped his hand to his face. Of course TOHRU would find the hideous thing cute.

Yogi's eyes lit up and he ran to Tohru's side, happily. "Tohru-Chan, you understand, don't you!?" he exclaimed.

"Idiots," Natsuno and Gareki both grumbled, as it appeared the blondes had found something new to bond over.

Nai looked on in an adorable state of quiet confusion, with a finger gingerly curled at his bottom lip. Being the child he was, he had never understood why Gareki disliked Nyanperowna so much, after all, just like Silver Yogi, Nyanperowna was just another one of Yogi's personalities. Did that mean Gareki only liked normal Yogi, and not the other personas? "_Grown ups are complicated_," Nai quietly mused to himself.

Tsukumo was having other thoughts. While she was well aware that none of the guys were interested in her, she had been reading certain kinds of Manga and romance novels during her free time. She had her own little mind movies playing out of shooing Nai out of the cave, stripping the boys down, throwing the blondes in one corner, and the two darker-haired boys in another and demanding both pairs go at each other like rabbits. Her usual calm demeanor remained in tact, however, perfectly masking the thoughts running through her head. Nai couldn't sense them, and there was no sign of a blush on her face. She mentally scolded herself for thinking such things. Her mind then turned to the reasons it wouldn't work, she was trying to put the two submissive personalities together, and likewise the two dominant ones together, and while she wouldn't be surprised if Yogi and Tohru actually went along with it, she knew Gareki and Natsuno would never stand for it. "_Well, a girl can fantasize every now and then,_" she thought quietly to herself, as she daintily popped a piece of rabbit meat into her mouth.

The conversation between Yogi and Tohru was cut off as a dry set of clothes landed on Yogi's head. "Shut up and change already! You two can banter about stupid useless crap like that damned yellow cat later," Gareki growled.

The group turned their backs to Yogi to allow him a chance to change his clothes without feeling vulnerable. Though in truth, everyone of them found the urge to look somewhat tempting, but they were more afraid of what Gareki would do if they were caught than how Yogi would handle it. Once Yogi was in a dry set of clothes, he joined them by the fire and Gareki helped him set something up so he could hang his wet clothes to dry next to it. The meat had already all been cooked and removed from the flames, anyway, so it wasn't like they risked contaminating anything. Yogi felt a little embarrassed to have his underwear hung up for all to see, but there wasn't much else he could do about it. Gareki gave a quiet smirk at the pair of boxers, unless Yogi had more than one pair of the same style, Gareki was certain this was the same pair of Nyanperowna underwear that the black cat Peka had stolen back in Satanica.

"He wears that thing's face… On his underwear?" Natsuno asked, raising an eyebrow.

Yogi and Tohru were already bantering again, they weren't paying any attention to the darker haired boys at the moment. "I had a similar reaction when I found out, too," Gareki scoffed. "But then, that's Yogi for you. I don't know if he created the character or not, but Nyanperowna is a Government Mascot for Circus. Yogi is the professional fur suiter for that character, which he wears during the parades before the shows. His whole room and even his bath supplies are Nyanperowna merchandise."

"So there's a whole line of products for this creature?" Natsuno asked. Gareki sighed and nodded. Natsuno raised an eyebrow. "I hope he's getting a decent cut of the profit?"

Gareki gave an amused smirk. "I wouldn't have the faintest clue," he admitted.

As the night wore on, the Children of Circus and their two new friends continued to talk. No signs of what was causing the bell to ring having been found, they would be forced to wait another night, and Yogi and Gareki were both pleased to each have someone so close to their age that understood their own personalities. In fact, Yogi and Tohru were acting like they were the best of friends, and even Gareki and Natsuno were acting as though they had known each other their whole lives. While Tsukumo and Nai realized the danger for this on Yogi's side, and the significance for it in Gareki's case, they had no way of fathoming how this behavior reflected upon Natsuno himself. Until now, Tohru had been the only person Natsuno had ever dropped his guard for and let in past his personal barriers. Tohru was rather glad to see the purple-haired teen getting along with someone else. One by one, the members of the group began to doze off as the sun began to rise. Tohru was the first, of course, try as he might, he couldn't fight the deep sleep that would set upon him once the sun was in the sky.

When it fell night fall once more, Natsuno was the first to wake up. He sat up and rubbed one of his eyes. Blinking, he looked around to see where everyone had fallen asleep at. Tsukumo had gone to her own little corner of the cave again. Gareki and Natsuno had both passed out at about the same time, possibly while one of them was mid-sentence. Nai was asleep curled up next to Gareki, using the dark haired teen's stomach as a pillow. Natsuno smirked, there was no denying this kid was adorable. His eyes then shifted to where he last remembered seeing the blondes. There were still a few rays of sunlight outside, so Tohru was still fast asleep. He was asleep in the same pose Natsuno remembered him always sleeping in, flat on his back, legs close together, his arms pointed upward, with his open palms flat at either side of his head. What he realized he saw next caused a smile to cross his face. He gave Gareki a gentle shake. "Hey, wake up," Natsuno whispered.

"Hmm? What?" Gareki growled, annoyed at having been woken.

Natsuno chuckled and put a finger to his lips to warn Gareki to keep quiet. With his free hand, he pointed toward the sleeping blondes. Gareki smiled. Laying next to Tohru, was an equally fast asleep Yogi, curled in the fetal position and snuggled dangerously close to the Shiki. "Awe, would you look at that?" Gareki smirked.

"They're almost too cute to wake up, sleeping like that," Natsuno chuckled.

"It'd be a shame to wake them," Gareki agreed. "Maybe we should let them wake up and find themselves like that, just to see their reaction."

Natsuno smiled and nodded, imagining the adorably embarrassed blushes that would most likely wash over the faces of the blondes, and the amount of teasing he and Gareki would be able to get away with. "Yeah, let's do that," he agreed. "… Oh?" Natsuno stopped and stared intently at the sleeping blondes.

"What's wrong?" Gareki asked.

Natsuno shook his head. "Nothing's wrong, it's just… Tohru-Chan's… dreaming," he commented. There had been several times when Natsuno had woke up while staying the night at Tohru's house to find the eighteen year old in the middle of a dream. He would mumble unintelligibly, yet answer when spoken to, and certain muscles in his face and arms would occasionally twitch or spasm, though rarely ever as though he were in pain. Like Tohru had said, he wasn't accustomed to unprovoked nightmares.

Sometimes Natsuno got a wild hair during those moments and would talk to Tohru, just to find out what kind of replies he'd get from the heavy sleeper. Nai had commented the first time they all met up that it didn't seem like Tohru was dreaming. Now that Natsuno thought about it, this was the first signs he'd seen of Tohru being capable of such activities, since they had been reunited. Natsuno almost felt himself on the verge of tears, happy tears, but tears nonetheless over the fact that his dearest friend still had something left of his human life in that reanimated body of his.

The moment was ruined however, as the last beams of sunlight dispersed and the dark of night fully flooded the land, Tohru and Yogi both gave a soft murmur in their sleep. "Mnh… Natsuno," Tohru's voice softly called.

"Gareki-Kun," Yogi's voice also broke out almost in near perfect sync with Tohru's. Both of the older blondes sounded blissfully happy as they called out the names of the younger darker haired boys, and both of them seemed to blush as they did so.

Tsukumo had woke up by this point, playing possum, she had over heard most of the conversation between Natsuno and Gareki up until now, and it took all of her willpower not to burst out laughing at the looks on Gareki and Natsuno's faces. The two darker haired boys stood, stone cold and wide eyed for a moment in silent shock. "JUST WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DREAMING ABOUT!? WAKE THE HELL UP!" they both exclaimed in unison.

Nai sprang awake at the sound of the yelling, looked around, realizing his 'pillow' had been long gone from his side and rubbing his eyes. "What's all the noise?" he asked, his sensitive ears throbbing from the echoes of the boys' yelling. Tsukumo could no longer pretend to be asleep with the noise from the two younger teenagers, so she sat up as well. Tohru and Yogi both blinked themselves awake, realizing just how close to one another they had rolled in their sleep, and that somewhere along they line, they had said or done something to make the two more dominant personalities very irate. Blushing even brighter, the blondes sprang to their feet.

"Eh? N-N-Natsuno?" Tohru asked, "What's wrong?"

"Gareki-Kun? Calm down," Yogi pleaded as the two darker-haired boys encroached upon them.

"What the hell did we do?" Tohru asked.

"Beats the hell out of me," Yogi replied.

"Not yet," Gareki grumbled.

"But it's about to," Natsuno replied.

"Ne, Tohru-Chan?" Yogi whispered. He and Tohru had backed up to the point their backs were against one another, both with their open hands in the air, "Do you think if we duck down at the same time, they might end up hitting each other instead and knocking themselves out?"

Tohru blinked as he rolled the idea over in his mind. He turned his head to look over his shoulder at Yogi and Gareki, then glanced back at Natsuno. He swallowed an unnecessary gulp of air. "Yeah," he whispered back, "But that'll only make them madder. Best to take it now and let it be over with."

"Ah, I see your point," Yogi said, closing his eyes and flashing Gareki a smile that seemed to say, '_Don't hurt me too much, ok?_'

"Honestly, I'll never understand the Seme's reasoning for bullying their Uke," Tsukumo sighed, grabbing Nai's hand, "Come on, Nai-Chan, let's go outside for a moment."

"Say what?" The four guys exclaimed, all flushing bright red. Now even Tsukumo was calling them out on what none of them were willing to admit. Tohru and Yogi heaved a quiet sigh, realizing Tsukumo had just saved them from a pummeling they had no idea what they were guilty of doing to deserve.

"Somebody's been reading a lot of erotica lately," Natsuno commented flatly.

"What's a Seme and a Uke? … What's erotica?" Nai asked inquisitively.

Everyone paused. "Gyah!" Gareki growled, pushing his hand to his face, "Don't go teaching the kid words like that!"

Tsukumo giggled, turning to face Nai, she knelt down so that she was eye level with him. "A Seme is someone who likes to bully people, like Natsuno and Gareki-Kun," she answered, giving the Niji a false understanding of the word, "A Uke is someone like Tohru-Chan and Yogi, who secretly enjoys being bullied by their own respective Seme," she continued, with the false, though in some cases not entirely inaccurate explanation. "As for erotica…" She blushed, "I'll have to explain that one when you're older."

Nai blinked at her. Once more he took everyone off guard. Having noticed her blush, and heard the racing of their hearts, his mind went the only place it could. As a part animal, even he could understand this much. "Why, does it have something to do with mating?"

"Karoku's going to kill us," Gareki sighed, burying his hand into his face.

"Yep, we're pretty much doomed," Yogi agreed.


	15. 15 - We Will Follow Where They Lead

_**Author's Note:**_ Ack! Short, sappy chapter. So much for the shipping being left in the background with this one out of the way. It's a moment of Tohru and Yogi by themselves, since I've been focusing on Natsuno and Tohru and Gareki and Yogi, or everyone together. This conversation worked out better in my mind before I started writing it, because by the time I started writing it, I forgot how I was suppose to tie the two situations in as being any kind of relevant to each other, so I apologize now if it doesn't make any sense. Constructive feedback on that issue is both welcomed and appreciated.

_**Chapter 15: We Will Follow Where They Lead**_

Tsukumo pulled Gareki aside and informed him that she had indeed found Yogi's change of patches, but as the mission had originally only been meant to take two days, there was a scarce number of replacements, so they would have to be very cautious in their usage. However, it appeared that Hirato, knowing how excited Yogi would be about having Gareki along for a mission again and thus distracted during preparations, had gotten Akari-Sensei to send the necessary medical precautions incase Silver Yogi did indeed surface.

Once again, someone would have to hunt for the night's meal. But also, someone would have to look into finding the source of the bell sound. So far, they had not heard it at all tonight, but Gareki's mind wouldn't be at ease until they knew where it was coming from. The question now was who should go and who should stay?

Tohru was no longer a danger to the safety of the others after having been fed the night before, so he could be trusted to the hunting, but if the bell returned, he would need someone at his side. Natsuno was being hunted by Megumi and Tatsumi, meaning he was safer in the cave with someone watching over him, and Nai's hearing was perfect for hunting either the animals, or the source of the bell. Gareki knew he was determined to look for the bell, which left Tsukumo and Yogi. Yogi's Dornkiste had already proven useful in the hunt. It was dangerous all around for Tohru and Yogi to be left alone together, Natsuno had already recounted the horror of Tohru during a hunger frenzy to Gareki, and likewise Gareki knew Yogi was a ticking time bomb. On top of that, while Tohru had shown great restraint and self control so far, and the two of them got along famously, there was still the fact that Yogi's post-human blood was tantalizing to the timid Vampire. Still, their abilities left them as the best possible pairing for the hunting party.

It was finally settled, Tohru and Yogi would hunt, Nai would go with Gareki to try and find the bell. Tsukumo would stay and guard Natsuno. Natsuno didn't care for the idea of needing a 'babysitter', but Tsukumo seemed like she wouldn't be too much of a bother to be around. The eighteen year old girl with blonde pigtails had been quiet but friendly, and she didn't partake in the nonsense of the other two blondes. She seemed…sensible.

Natsuno knew the two Okiagari who were out for his life were a convenient excuse for leaving him in the cave. But he had a feeling that the fact that he was human and an 'unarmed civilian' was also a reflecting factor. He couldn't fly like the Children of Circus, and he didn't have the strength or sense of smell and hearing that Tohru and Nai did. He was strong enough to knock a Shiki unconscious with a shovel after the Shiki had a good luck charm shoved in their face, but how would he actually stand on his own against one, or two, or a Varuga, or all of the above? "_Whatever, let them make their excuses to 'protect' me,_" he thought to himself, burying his nose in one of the books Tsukumo had loaned him. Apparently, she and Gareki had both packed a couple pieces of choice reading material for the time they were to spend over night on their mission.

Nai was happy to be alone with Gareki again, it was the first time the two of them had been by themselves since he'd returned to the Second Ship. The half-Niji would be a liability if they ran into a Varuga or the Okiagari, but by now the child had learned when to hide himself while the others fight.

Tohru and Yogi were showing off during their hunt. Yogi was flying about and trapping the animals with his thorns, while Tohru drained them. The two of them continued to talk the entire time, but still managed to catch their prey easily. "Ne, Tohru-Chan," Yogi asked, "Who was that guy traveling with the pink-haired Shiki?" Tohru blinked at Yogi curiously. "I mean, I know you told us that he was a servant to the queen of your clan and all that, but, he didn't seem to be the same as you two. He seemed stronger, meaner, more alive. Even his eyes were different."

Tohru sighed and nodded. "You're right, he's all of those things. He's an Okiagari, but he's a rare species amongst our clan. While our leader Sunako has decided we are called Shiki, his breed are called Jinrou. So far, there are only two like him in existence. Tatsumi-Kun associates himself and Yoshie with Werewolves, yet they're essentially day-walkers. They don't have to hide from the sun, they're not afraid of religious symbols and good luck charms or bells, they can eat regular human food if they wish and gain the same benefits that a normal human would. Unlike a Shiki, the Jinrou doesn't die to become one, they reach a point of near death, and then slowly change before they die, though they are still sired by Shiki in the same manner as any other Shiki would be. They heal faster, and are much stronger and faster with sharper senses than a common Shiki, and drinking human blood only makes those abilities that much better. They are an evolution of our clan, superior in everyway, yet they choose to serve our clan leader, rather than usurp her and take control for themselves. Yoshie is strict but fair. Tatsumi-Kun on the other hand revels at seeing others in pain and is Sunako's right-hand-man."

"Do you mind if I ask you another question? One on a slightly more personal note?" Yogi cautiously probed, "It's alright if you don't want to answer it, though."

Tohru raised an eyebrow. "Well, in that case, I won't promise an answer, but go ahead and ask."

Yogi smiled and nodded. "What do you and Natsuno intend to do from here? I realize you're waiting for him to regain full strength before leaving the cave, and last night sort of set you back in the matter. But, the details behind it are complicated… Gareki and I believe we've been brought to a different world, one that is neither ours nor yours, a different planet, a different dimension, a different time altogether, perhaps, but the six of us are not native to this place or time. If there is a way for the two of you to return to your own, would you?"

Tohru sighed and shook his head. "I honestly don't know," he admitted, "Natsuno's always the one with the plan, always the smart one, thinking ahead. I bit him in order to protect him and my family, when all I wanted was to find a way to keep all of them safe. He said he couldn't leave Sotoba without me, but… He'd always insisted he would leave regardless of if he had to leave his parents behind or not. I don't know why when he was so determined to keep his distance in the first place, he suddenly decided I had to be with him or he wouldn't go at all. I'm frightened for him and don't want to leave his side for his own sake. I also, don't want to be left alone with what I've become, when he's the only person I know I can turn to. If there's a way to go back, and he decides he wants to, I will follow him. I will follow wherever he goes and do all I can to keep him safe."

"And when he's gone?" Yogi reluctantly asked, before he even realized the words had left his mouth.

"Huh?" Tohru froze. Even though there should have been no way for it, he felt his heart and chest clinch tight at those words. It was a harsh reality he'd been skirting around all this time, and something he would have expected Gareki to pull into the open long before Yogi.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to bring up unpleasant thoughts," Yogi sighed, he felt flashes of his childhood trying to surface again, as if his Silver personality was clawing at his mind, trying to make him force the gentle Shiki to realize what he faced. "It's just that you're immortal now. You'll be eighteen for eternity. Natsuno-Kun is still human."

Tohru hissed at the thought and put a hand to his ears. "DON'T! Please, Yogi, no more. I'm well aware of that fact. I'm so scared that I'll one day be the death of him, whether I want it or not. Yes, there is a small part of me that wishes to turn him and make him a Shiki to ensure we're together forever, but I refuse to give in to such treacherous voices in my head. It is not a fate I wish to force upon him. I don't know how I'll handle watching him age while I stay the same. I don't know how HE will handle watching me stay the same as he ages. All I know is that even with his life on the line, he was trying to find a way to help me, and I cannot abandon him. As long as he is able to live happily, I'll willingly reside in the shadows and protect him for as long as he lives. … What of you and Gareki-Kun? Your feelings for him, it's obvious are the same as mine for Natsuno. Willingly submitting to their bullying nature because all we want is to see them happy. Madly in love, following them like lost puppy dogs, when they act like they're too blind to notice it. You're five years older than he is, right?"

"Six years," Yogi corrected, blushing and looking away.

"Eh, still not too bad, I guess... Anyway, if the two of you were in our situation, how do you think either of you would handle it?" Tohru asked.

"In a way, we already are," Yogi answered. "They don't think I know, but slowly over these last three years, bits and pieces of my past have been resurfacing. What comes through is hazy and makes little sense. Something happened to me when I was a child, someone near and dear to me was lost, and I was put through Hell and back. Maybe I'll never fully remember what it was, but perhaps that is for the best. What I do know is that I've been with Circus since I was ten. I never remember what happens when 'he' surfaces, but I have another personality, much meaner, stronger, and dangerous. They don't realize I'm aware of his existence, or the danger he poses to me, but I am. This patch on my cheek is what keeps him suppressed. Let him out too long, and I will die, regardless of my own healing abilities. Perhaps that's why Gareki keeps pushing me away. I've done everything short of blatantly telling him how I feel. All I want is to see him happy. He's lost people close to him before and maybe he's afraid of loosing more if he lets them get too close. I've paid attention to his actions. He thinks I'm getting too close, and he puts out a lot of slack, but if he thinks I'm moving too far away, he does something to try and reel me back in to prevent my escape all together. Natsuno acts the same with you. But in the end, you're correct, my feelings for Gareki are the same as yours for Natsuno. You and I are older than either of them, yet we're both well aware that they are smarter and stronger on a mental level. So, we happily relinquish control to them, and for their sake become a bit masochistic, perhaps," Yogi and Tohru both heaved a single nervous giggle in response to this statement. "But in the end, they're the pillar of strength we need, and we're the warmth they crave but don't believe they deserve."

"So wherever they lead, we follow," the two said in unison.


	16. 16 - Get A Clue Already

_**Chapter 16: Get A Clue Already**_

Tohru and Yogi returned to the cave. Their discussion having changed to happier topics. Tonight, the group of six would be eating more than just deer and rabbit as the blondes had captured a couple of squirrels, a wild pig, and had actually found some water with some fish. Tohru found the fish much harder to drain than the mammals due to the scales, so this would be a rare treat. Gareki and Nai had also decided to return, as the bell never once rang the entire night. None of them were prepared for the sight that greeted them when they returned.

_**Earlier**_

Tatsumi and Megumi were following what they believed to be the scent from Gareki and Yogi. Half having forgotten about Natsuno and Tohru, the two power-hungry Okiagari wanted revenge for the embarrassment they suffered when the two Children of Circus had escaped them.

Megumi was the first to notice the cave, thinking it would be a great place to keep shelter for the night. As she and Tatsumi approached the entrance, they both realized the scent of their prey had grown stronger. "In fact, it smells like all four of them have been here," Tatsumi smirked. "Let's go in and investigate, shall we?"

"Let's," Megumi agreed.

Natsuno and Tsukumo were both inside enjoying their books next to the warmth of the fire, having a casual conversation. Natsuno had explained what his goals had originally been back in Sotoba, but how he not only had to, but was willing to adjust every one of his plans to include and accommodate Tohru being with him. Tsukumo had told him about how and why she joined Circus, how long she had been there before Nai and Gareki had joined, and how the assignment of watching over the two of them had caused her to realize she was way too serious about the work, slowly turning into something robotic and near emotionless until she was captured and realized how much she regretted not spending more time talking with everyone.

It seemed like everyone in Circus had some sort of painful back story; Yogi was the prince of a country that no longer existed, forced to watch a video of his younger sister being torn apart by Varuga and injected with the monsters' cells himself, his own Cradle Cells being able to over ride the process of becoming a monster and keeping him alive. Gareki not knowing his birth family, sold into slavery at the age of eight by the people who'd raised him, narrowly escaped becoming a Varuga as the other children on the slave ship saw him as the smallest and tied him down stealing his food, yet the children slowly began to turn into monsters before his very eyes. The ship he was on was sank and Tsubaki and her family took him in, only for them too to die in the name of 'evolution' in the creation of Varuga. This Kafka was starting to sound more and more like Sunako, not caring who gets hurt in the process of making the numbers of your ranks grow. From what Tsukumo had told him, it seemed like nearly every member of Circus had at least one bad encounter, usually causing the loss of friends and family, that lead them to join the organization. "_If bitten and killed by a Shiki, there probably isn't the first one of them who wouldn't come back as one,_" Natsuno thought solemnly.

The casual conversation and Natsuno's thoughts were disrupted, when they heard a voice at the cave entrance. Natsuno's eyes widened. That voice was all too familiar, that voice had haunted his sleep for months now. "Damn it all," he grumbled, jumping to his feet, "…Shimizu."

Tsukumo looked up as the pink haired Shiki and the green haired Jinrou entered the cave. "Well, well, well," Tatsumi chuckled, "Look who's here, Megumi-Chan. This is where your little lover boy's been hiding out all this time."

Megumi squealed in delight, "Yuuki-KUUN!"

"I'll have to give Tohru an extra beating when I find him," Tatsumi smirked, "You don't look dead to me at all." Tatsumi's eyes quietly scanned the cave. "Where is the little coward, anyway?"

"Tohru-Chan isn't here," Tsukumo answered as she snipped her book closed, gracefully sitting it on the ground, and stood up. "It appears Natsuno-Kun isn't interested in visitors either. I suggest you both leave before my comrades return."

"Well, I never expected to find YOU with a woman companion, either," Tatsumi smirked as Megumi's face turned pure green with envy.

Megumi fumed, glaring at Tsukumo, the petite blonde eighteen year old girl with pigtails looked like a life-size porcelain doll. "Y-YUUKI-KUN! Just who the hell is this little trollop?" the female Shiki demanded, "Why is it that every time I turn around, I find you with another blonde, anyway! Do you have a fetish for blonde hair or something?" Tatsumi smirked at the comment, trying his best not to laugh at Megumi's ire.

"No, I just hate the color pink," Natsuno answered snidely.

Tsukumo put a hand to her mouth in attempt to hide the amused look on her face. "Oh my, you're not actually jealous of me, are you?" she asked, also trying not to laugh. Was this pink haired girl the only one who didn't get it?

Natsuno raised an eyebrow. "Go to Hell, Megumi! I don't answer to you, and I don't have to explain whom I spend my time with!" He crossed his arms and looked away from her. "I wish you'd get it through that thick skull of yours, there's nothing between us. There never has been, and there never will be."

"WHY!?" Megumi shrieked shrilly. Tsukumo covered her ears, suddenly glad Nai wasn't around. Megumi had the ambition to become a model when she was a human, now she saw herself as an unstoppable diva. Rising as a Shiki, she had gained the singing voice of a siren, the wailing voice of a banshee, and if she ever targeted the right men, the seductive tones and body of a succubus. Too bad her eyes kept roving toward guys like Natsuno and Gareki. "Why do you keep turning me away?" She leapt in the air and was in front of Natsuno before he and Tsukumo both had the chance to blink. Natsuno jolted and took a few steps back. When she was alive, he had found her an annoyance during the day, and a small liability to his safety and sanity at night as she stood outside his window. Now that she was dead, she was utterly nightmarish.

"_You will probably never realize how much you've made me despise the color pink,_" Natsuno thought, trying to find something, anything but her for his eyes to focus on. "Tatsumi over there seems to have figured it out already, why the hell can't you?" he scoffed out loud, looking away from her.

"Ne, Yuuukiii-Kuun…" Megumi tried to sing sweetly, catching hold of Natsuno's shirt. "Don't be so cruel. You're just bashful, that's all. That coward Mutou betrayed you when he bit you, right? But he didn't finish what he started." She leaned in seductively with a slight giggle. "Let me finish the job, and turn you into one of us, ne? Then you can forget his betrayal, and you and I can be together forever."

Natsuno slapped her away. "Damn it all, Megumi, you frilly pink-haired bitch! Get away!"

Megumi hissed, her powers of seduction had no effect. "Why? No man should be able to resist my charm! How, why? Why don't you love me, Yuuki-Kun?" she wailed. Again Tsukumo found herself having to cover her ears.

"Get a clue already!" Natsuno scolded her. "I…have… no interest in women!" Natsuno glared at the pink Shiki, then heaved a sigh, looking away. "Now that that's finally out in the open, I'll ask you one last time to simply turn around, forget you ever saw me, and leave me alone."

Before Tsukumo could make any move, Tatsumi was behind her and had grabbed her hands. Megumi was fuming mad. "How dare you make a fool out of me, Yuuki-Kun!" the pink haired Shiki hissed. "NO interest in women? Then what? Don't tell me you're in love with that blonde idiot Tohru Mutou?" Megumi took a step back as Natsuno finally looked at her. His eyes were silently glaring in her direction, as if daring her to repeat what she'd just said, but he was indeed looking at her.

"How dare you even speak his name with such venom dripping in your voice, you pink haired harlot! The only one who's made a fool out of you is yourself for not realizing it on your own sooner," Natsuno chided her. "I owe you guys quite a few scores for what you've done to him, and what you've put me through. Tatsumi, I'll ask nicely, only once for you to release Tsukumo-Chan and let her go. She's got nothing to do with any of this."

"Oh, I completely agree," Tatsumi smirked. "She's got nothing to do with this. So I'll just make her sleep," He lightly bit Tsukumo's neck. The girl gave a quick quiet squeak of pain as the Jinrou's fangs pierced her flesh. He drained just enough blood to knock her unconscious, then tossed her aside. The only thing that broke her fall and kept her from hitting her head on the stone floor was that she landed on the Nyanperowna costume head. "Wouldn't want her getting in the way, now would we?" he chuckled, licking his lips.

"You BASTARD!" Natsuno growled. Natsuno realized that even taking that much blood, Tatsumi was stronger now than he would have been, and all he had to fight with were his fists. There was nothing within the cave he could use as a convenient weapon.

Megumi lunged at Natsuno with a hiss, throwing her arms around him and swinging so that she was at his backside. He felt the icy cold splash of what he could only assume was tears on his shoulders. "You've ignored me, scorned my feelings, tore up and threw away the postcard I took such care in writing you, chosen that idiot over me, and now humiliated me in front of Tatsumi-Kun and strangers," she growled, "It's not fair Yuuki-Kun! I shouldn't have to hypnotize you to make you mine! …But if I have to… I will." Her fangs sank deep into Natsuno's neck.

Tatsumi chuckled as Natsuno tried to squirm free. Megumi was not gentle with her fangs. She was bitter and angry and wanted Natsuno to feel it before she turned him into her plaything, forgetting that Tohru had already bitten him, and that her hypnotism would have been countered. Vampiric law usually states that when a Vampire bites a victim, that person becomes a member of that Vampire's herd. By biting Natsuno without Tohru's permission, Megumi was breaking such a law; but it was not a law Sunako had warned the Shiki to honor, nor had she explained why. Only the first Vampire to bite someone may turn that person into a thrall and control them, or blood bond with them making the Vampire the person's loyal servant, Megumi's venom would not have her desired effect. Tatsumi was old enough to be aware of this without Sunako ever having to tell him, but he felt it was a lesson Megumi needed to learn on her own. After all, Sunako had ordered Natsuno dead, who was Tatsumi to complain how it got done at this point?

"What the Hell is going on here?" Gareki's voice echoed through the cave.

The two Okiagari looked up, Natsuno had just fallen unconscious in Megumi's arms, her mouth was still dripping with his blood as she moved away from his neck. Nai was clinging tight to Gareki's side, up until now, he'd been spared having to watch the Okiagari feed, as Tohru always made sure Nai wasn't looking before he bit into the animals.

Nai and Gareki both noticed where Tsukumo lay on the floor. "Tsukumo-Chan!" Nai exclaimed. The half-Niji started to run to his tutor, but Gareki caught him by the elbow.

"Nai, no! It's too dangerous to run to her right now," Gareki warned.

"Oh my, Megumi-Chan, if it isn't the handsome Mister Goggles," Tatsumi smiled. "So you boys did know the two fugitives we were looking for, after all. I see you've got a new playmate with you. Where's your flying friend with the thorns?"

"Gyah!" Yogi's voice broke out, as he and Tohru walked in at unbelievable timing and surveyed the scene.

"Natsuno!?" Tohru exclaimed worriedly.

Tsukumo was out cold on the floor, Yogi's beloved Nyanperowna costume head crushed underneath her, and Natsuno was unconscious in Megumi's arms. Gareki and Nai were now boxed in between the four deadliest people they could possibly find themselves stuck between; one sadistic Jinrou, one angry Post-Human, and two extremely pissed-off Shiki.


	17. 17 - Not Like This

_**Chapter 17: Not Like This**_

"DAMNIT MEGUMI, LET HIM GO BEFORE YOU REALLY DO KILL HIM!" Tohru exclaimed rushing at the pink haired Shiki, and completely ignoring the bigger threat, the ever-so-quiet Jinrou watching over the whole thing.

Tatsumi raised an eyebrow and scoffed. If he wished it, he could easily kill Tohru, Megumi, and Natsuno all in one fell swoop, striking in a manner that would ensure Natsuno never rose up. He had also drank some of Tsukumo's blood, increasing his already super-human strength and lightning reflexes. Luckily the Incure cells that gave the members of Circus their abilities was housed inside their ID bracelets, and not inside their bodies themselves. No, there was only one person who the Okiagari would benefit the most from feeding off; Yogi, hosting Incure Cells, Cradle Cells, and Varuga Cells all in one, it was no wonder the smell of his blood seemed to scream out to them for attention. Standing with his right hand on his hip, and his left arm limp, Tatsumi simply smiled as Tohru and Megumi went at each other, claws and fangs bared. He knew he could easily destroy all three of them without breaking a sweat, and for every minute that the physical fighting between the two Shiki took place keeping the others away from their friends, Natsuno slipped closer to death. That was what Tatsumi wanted. His orders had been to see Natsuno dead, and Megumi safely home to the other Shiki-Tohru as well if at all possible, but Tatsumi had already labeled the blonde Shiki as a traitor.

The Okiagari chased each other out of the cave. Tatsumi continued to watch, as if he were simply bidding his time. Megumi fought like a girl, hair pulling, and claws baring, she tried to avoid any movements that might chip a nail or rip her dress. Tohru, who normally would have never even raised a hand to a girl-even his own sister, took advantage of this. He hadn't even considered fighting until she threw the first blow, until then, his only thought was to get Natsuno away from her. He punched, she dodged. She scratched, he kicked. Megumi finally became frustrated enough to take things more seriously as Tohru managed to actually rip a small piece of fabric close to her chest with one blow.

There was one person in all of Sotoba Megumi never had any trouble beating to a pulp and that was Masao, she told herself to handle Tohru as if it were Masao instead, which was all she needed to convince her to throw a real punch at Tohru's face. She found it annoying that even though she was the one who had sired him, her hypnotic powers no longer worked on him now that he was a Shiki like they had done when he was human.

Just as she thought her fist was going to connect, Tohru took a quick, unblinking step to the right, as her fist brushed through the area he had been standing, he caught her wrist, twisted her arm and pulled it behind her back, bending it up toward the back of her head at the elbow. "If I apply enough pressure like this, I can break your arm easily," he warned her in a whispered growl. Megumi's eyes widened and she gave off a painful sounding whimper as she tried to squirm. Tohru was the son of the Ozaki clinic's administrator, OF COURSE he'd have some medical knowledge from looking through all the books his father was bound to have had around the house. Tohru leaned down to her ear. The red lights in his eyes flashed as he whispered, "Does it hurt? I told you, alive or dead, I'd never let you have him."

"Damn you, Tohru!" Megumi hissed, "Why do you keep getting in my way?"

"I thought that was obvious by now," Tohru said, almost nonchalantly as he bared his fangs. "He's MINE." Megumi let out a wail as Tohru leaned in and bit her neck, bleeding her out. Her blood was as bitter as he found her personality. Knowing what this action meant to a Shiki, it was something he normally would have never done, but he was angry with her for hurting Natsuno, and she and Tatsumi had both done it to him not but two nights prior. Megumi hissed, wailed, and squirmed begging him to stop, almost certain he was determined to drain her dry. She tried to call for Tatsumi to come to her aid, but she couldn't force the words. Megumi recalled how often she had heard Tamotsu and Aoi mention that their brother was not easy to make mad, but once it happened, it was always best to turn and run the other direction. The harder it is to anger someone, the scarier they are when it finally happens. She had never believed them, she didn't even think the timid blonde knew how to get mad until this very moment. She felt herself growing weaker and weaker, between her sobs she couldn't even beg him to stop any more. Finally, he pulled away and spat out large quantities of her blood onto the ground. Rather than swallow any of the bitter red liquid, he'd allowed most of it to run down her neck as he drained her, but still retained a large amount within his mouth during the process. "Turnabout's fair play, BITCH!" he snarled pushing her to the ground and wiping his mouth with his arm.

"Tch…" Tatsumi scoffed, tucking his hands into his pocket. "_She's a mess, now,_" he thought.

Remembering the other Okiagari, Tohru turned and faced the green haired Jinrou, uncertain what the day walker would do, but ready to fight him back if need be. Back in Sotoba, he'd been frightened of Tatsumi's sadistic nature, but after the conversation he'd had earlier with Yogi, he'd come to the realization there was only one person he was ever truly willing to submit to, and no matter the clan or creed, that person wasn't an Okiagari.

"Had your fun with Megumi-Chan, did you, Tohru-Kun?" Tatsumi sneered. "You should feel ashamed picking on a girl like that! I thought your parents taught you better? Care to take on someone a little stronger?"

Much to Tatsumi's surprise, Tohru didn't run or cower like expected. Instead, the blonde Shiki gave a huff and turned to face the Jinrou, his hands clenched in fists at his side, the red lights still blazing in his eyes. Tatsumi paused and blinked. Was this truly the same Tohru Mutou he'd met trying to grab a yen piece out from under a vending machine back in Sotoba? The teenager was certainly carrying an entirely different attitude now from back then. Tatsumi smiled. "I didn't think you could actually get serious about something, Tohru-Kun," the Jinrou chuckled. In one quick movement, the Jinrou knocked Tohru to the ground, pressing his foot on the blonde Shiki's throat, as if attempting to crush it. "Where was all this resolve to protect Natsuno when I was threatening your family?"

Tohru hissed and put all his strength into trying to push Tatsumi's foot away from his neck. If Tatsumi succeeded in crushing Tohru's throat, it wouldn't kill him. It would be agonizingly painful and make it difficult, near impossible for him to feed correctly until it healed, which that in itself would slowly start to weaken and kill him, but it would not be an instantaneous death. Tatsumi smiled an evil grin. "Be a good little fledgling and let me put you to sleep. I promise I'll take _'GOOD CARE'_ of Natsuno-Kun until you wake up."

Tohru blinked and gave a low growl at these words. He twisted Tatsumi's foot until he heard the bone crack and threw the Jinrou into the still-slumped over pink-haired Shiki. One hand on his throat, which felt as though Tatsumi might have actually done some damage to it after all, Tohru pushed himself into a sitting position and attempted to cough, finding he still had traces of Megumi's blood, or at least the bitter aftertaste from it in his mouth. Slowly, he rose to his feet and walked over to the two downed Okiagari. His face was nearly expressionless. The snapped bone in the Jinrou was only a temporary handicap which he was well aware would heal in a matter of minutes. He had to take advantage of the pain he knew the Jinrou was suffering in one area in order to inflict further discomfort somewhere else, before his opponent could overthrow him again.

Before either of them could move, both Shiki let out a screech of horror, throwing their hands to their ears as the bell sounded again. "Huh," Tatsumi scoffed, "I never thought I'd see the ironic truth to the saying 'Saved by the bell', but there it is." He scrambled to his feet. "Gya…! Ah…ah…ha…!" He quickly regretted standing up as his snapped ankle popped under his weight, forcing him to hop around on one foot, holding the injured one in his hand. "Grrr…" He bent at the waist and rubbed his injured foot, one eye closed, the other opened and glaring at the now cowering blonde who'd inflicted such pain. Tohru had found the will to fight Megumi and Tatsumi, but his Vampiric mind still told him to flee in fear of the bell. Tatsumi opened his closed eye, and shifted a softened gaze over to Megumi. She was in a pool of her own blood, which was still streaming down her neck and getting all over her dress. She was sobbing in a combination of both pain and fear. The bell was sporadic, no rhyme or reason to it, no distinct pattern. It no longer sounded like a clock counting the hour, or at the very least, it could have been counted as clock that was breaking down. However, everyone agreed that it sounded closer now than ever. On top of that, all three of the Okiagari could sense the night would soon come to a close. Now was not the time to take advantage of Tohru's weakness. "Damn it all," the Jinrou scoffed. "_I've got to get her out of here for now,_" he thought. His eyes turned back to Tohru, "I'll deal with you later!" With an angry growl, he scooped Megumi into his arms and retreated.

Gareki left Nai and Yogi to take care of Natsuno and Tsukumo and flew off in the direction Nai insisted the sound was coming from. Nai stayed at Tsukumo's side, she had woken up in the middle of the fight between Tohru and Megumi. She was groggy and hungry, but otherwise felt fine, like she had donated blood at a blood drive. Tatsumi hadn't even had time to hypnotize her before the others had interrupted him and Megumi. Yogi was the only one brave enough to get close to Tohru now. Nai was too young and Tsukumo, in her currant state, too weak to pull the Shiki back inside the cave.

Tohru's eyes were still flashing red, and his hands were still on his head, as he whimpered with what even he believed to be irrational fear of the ringing bell. Tohru had frenzied while fighting with Megumi. It may not have been a hunger frenzy, but it had been a frenzy all the same. Gently, Yogi wrapped his arms around Tohru from behind, catching the Shiki under his armpits and pulled him to his feet. "Calm down, Tohru-Chan," Yogi quietly coaxed, though he was certain there was only one person who's voice could really reach him at the moment. Yogi got Tohru inside and pulled him to a corner where he would be facing a wall, rather than the motionless body of Natsuno in the back.

Nai had sensed it; with every passing minute, Natsuno had drawn closer and closer to death. Already weakened from the small amount of blood Tohru had taken the night before, his body was not ready for Megumi's attack. Nai listened worriedly while the Okiagari fought one another, as Natsuno's breathing became weaker and weaker, and his heart beat quieter and quieter. If Natsuno wasn't completely dead by now, the bell was too loud for Nai to tell anything more. He didn't know how to, or even if he should, say something to Tohru, uncertain how the Shiki would take it. If Natsuno was still alive, he would need immediate medical attention, but even their medical provisions wouldn't have been substantial enough for such an undertaking, and in all their time here, none of them had found any signs of the existence of civilization nearby. Moving Natsuno without a clear destination would be dangerous, and so close to sunrise, that would mean leaving Tohru alone in the cave until nightfall.

The sound stopped. Just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. Tohru closed his eyes and shook his head, forcing himself to cough at the bitter taste still in his mouth. He was slowly returning to his senses. He slowly moved his hands from his head and looked down at them, trembling as he realized what he'd done to Megumi and Tatsumi. He felt a pain shoot through him like none he'd ever felt before, as the image of the pink-haired fifteen year old holding Natsuno in her arms flashed back into his mind. It was the last thing he actually remembered seeing clearly.

"A-Are you alright, Tohru-Chan?" Nai asked.

"Leave me alone," Tohru replied quietly, looking at the floor.

"Huh?" the Children of Circus asked.

"You guys heard me," Tohru answered. "I want to be alone for a moment. Get out!"

Yogi sighed and nodded, signaling for Nai and Tsukumo to leave. He placed a gentle hand on Tohru's shoulder. "We'll be right outside if you need us," he offered softly.

Tohru nodded. "Thank you." Tohru stayed facing the wall of the cave until the others were outside. Once outside, Yogi asked Nai not to eavesdrop on Tohru, but to instead try to determine where Gareki had gone off to. Slowly, Tohru stood and turned, his eyes hesitantly moving toward the back of the cave. He was grateful that Yogi had pointed him away, or he might never have regained his composure. "N-Natsuno…" he sighed weakly. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists, as if he somehow thought when he opened them, he'd find it had all been a nightmare, and Natsuno would be alright. He slowly opened his eyes. "Natsuno, Natsuno!" he cried out, running to the boy's side.

Tohru sat down next to the purple haired teen and gently scooped him into his arms. For a moment Natsuno's name was the only word he could bring himself to vocalize. Tohru silently blamed himself for bringing such horrors onto the fifteen year old. If he and Natsuno had never become close, Megumi wouldn't have had a reason to be jealous, thus would have had no reason to attack him. If she hadn't made her first attack in front of Natsuno, he never would have known what had happened. If Natsuno had never known what had happened, he wouldn't have known to fight the Shiki, thus labeling himself as a threat, and Tatsumi never would have given Tohru the order to take his life. Just as Natsuno had been blaming himself for what the Okiagari had done to Tohru, Tohru now blamed himself for all that Natsuno had been through with them too.

"Natsuno, I'm so sorry," Tohru finally managed to sniffle, hugging Natsuno's body. "Please be ok. Don't… don't leave me alone. I'm useless without you. Please, you can't die, not like this." Tohru gently caught one of Natsuno's hands in his, carefully linking their fingers. Resting Natsuno's head on his shoulder, his free hand gently smoothed through the soft mess of silky purple locks. Tohru's icy cold tears landed on Natsuno's shirt. Tohru shuddered, he could feel the night getting shorter. His body was trying to shut down. "No!" he whined, "I don't want to go to sleep yet." He gently brushed a strand of hair from Natsuno's face. "I never got to tell you how I really feel…" Tohru closed his eyes and wept. "I wanted to tell you, but not like this. I lied when I told you I wanted you to be the chaperone on that drive with Ritsuko-Chan. She and I had been friends for years, so we over looked the rumors about us being spread through the town. She was in love with Ozaki-Sensei, even though he was already married, and she long knew I had no interest in girls, so allowing the rumors was convenient for both of us. Natsuno, that drive was meant to be for us, and Megumi stole it away. That was my regret that held me to the mortal world." He buried his head into Natsuno's shoulder, letting out a muffled sob, "Now that pink little tramp's stolen you too."


	18. 18 - It's About Time

_**Author's Note:**_ Gayack! First off, guys I'm sorry for the delay in posting this chapter. "Innocence Lost" took more time than I expected to write, once I had finished it, I came back to this one and realized I had almost forgotten where I was going with it (the chapter, not the story). Second; Wow, this is officially my longest single story on so far- as far as Chapters go, though I think "Innocence Lost" beats this one out in length according to words at the moment. I'm sorry I didn't warn you guys about the tear jerker ending for Chapter 17, or that I passed up an Author's Note all together, but I really wanted that chapter to come as a surprise. My husband and I call what happened with Tohru and Megumi "Belldandy Syndrome", after Belldandy from OMG. Those of us who are hard to make mad are really scary when it finally happens. I guess for the purposes of this story, though, it would be called "Silver Yogi Syndrome"? Any how, I'm getting closer to the end I believe. Um, I'm sorry if my description of the Varuga when they finally see it seems a bit cheesy, I'm avoiding the Sailor Moon monster spectrum, but like wise trying to steer clear of Inu-Yasha or Full Metal Alchemist territory with the description. I just hope it doesn't wind up sounding like something from Yugi-Oh, either. Also, I'm sorry for the lame Chapter title, but apparently it means a lot more now than it did when I started writing it. Oh, and I'm still wondering who my readers believe would have been/should have been the first to admit their feelings for their respected blonde; Natsuno or Gareki? Anime-Frekkk, thanks again for your continued support on this story, and your patience with me on getting out the next Chapter, I'm sorry I've kept you waiting so long! So, without further ado…

_**Chapter 18: It's About Time**_

"Ga~re~ki~Kuun!" Yogi called as he, Nai, and Tsukumo caught up with Gareki.

Gareki looked over his shoulder. "What are you guys doing here?" he asked.

"Tohru-Chan insisted on being alone," Tsukumo answered.

"Are you alright to be moving around?" Gareki asked.

Tsukumo nodded. "He only took enough to render me unconscious. I don't feel any different than if I had given a blood sample."

"Any luck in the search?" Yogi asked.

"No, not at all," Gareki answered, turning to look back in the direction he had been going. "This damned thing is illusive as Hell."

Yogi smiled and looked down at Nai. "Nai-Chan, that's your cue."

"Un!" Nai nodded and began listening for the sound.

Gareki caught Yogi by the shoulder and signaled for him to step aside with him. "So, you guys just left them there?" he asked in a hushed whisper.

"Gareki, at first we offered to stay outside incase he needed us, and he was fine with that. There's no way the provisions we have will cover such high blood loss, even with your knowledge, but we can't move Natsuno without knowing where we're going to move him to. We did what we could while the bell had Tohru petrified, but he didn't seem like he was going to be willing to let anyone near Natsuno once he'd regained his senses. We gave Tohru the time alone he requested, but just before sunrise, he told us to come look for you," Yogi explained. He sighed, his hands tucked behind his back, his eyes darting solemnly toward the ground on his left. "I feel sorry for him, having to see his best friend like that. I don't think he believes Natsuno's going to make it through this alive."

Gareki raised an eyebrow, "Then he's an even bigger idiot than I thought. Natsuno isn't the kind of guy to roll over and die that easily."

"There you go, again…" Yogi grumbled quietly.

"What?" Gareki asked.

Yogi shook his head. "You and Natsuno. You've been projecting yourselves onto each other from the moment you two first made eye contact," Yogi said.

"You and Tohru haven't been much better," Gareki scoffed. "We could have traded idiots, and probably nobody would have noticed the difference."

Yogi frowned, crossed his arms and looked away, "They would too… Once you put him in the Nyanperowna costume."

"_That's one hell of a coping mechanism you've got, Yogi,_" Gareki thought with a raised eyebrow. "_Though, I have to admit it's true, no one would ever be a convincing replacement for Yogi inside that damned cat suit._"

Yogi quietly blinked his eyes back in the direction of Nai and Tsukumo. They seemed to be distracted, for the time being. "Ne, Gareki," he said softly, slowly turning his head back to the younger dark haired male. Gareki flinched, as if he already knew where Yogi was trying to go with this. "There's something I've wanted to say to you for a long time now, but never could find the right time. Even now seems a bit inappropriate, but…" Yogi looked down at the ground and wrapped his arms around himself, clenching his elbows tight, and shyly casting his eyes to the ground. "Tohru's had something to tell Natsuno that he's missed his chance at twice now. I don't want that to happen to us." For a moment, Gareki thought he could see Yogi shivering. "It's ok if you don't feel the same, I understand, but… I… Gareki-Kun, I really… l…" Yogi looked away and mentally scolded himself, eyes closed and fists clenched. He knew what he wanted to say, but he was tripping over his words. Perhaps now really wasn't the best time after all? "_After all the horrors I've been through in my life, and all the Varuga I've fought, why is it so hard for me to say those words to him? Even if he rejects them, I shouldn't be afraid to say them._"

The black-haired teen smiled at the violet eyed blonde. Yogi didn't have anything to say that Gareki wasn't already aware of. Yogi and Tohru weren't the ones who needed to say it; their feelings were always written all over their faces. "Yogi," Gareki stopped him. Yogi quietly looked up at him, a soft blush creeping across the blonde's face. Gareki smirked and put a hand on Yogi's shoulder. "Don't force yourself. There's nothing to be said." Gareki turned his attention back in the direction of the cave, Natsuno had been bitten before and seemed fine, on top of that, he knew Tohru was going to be protective of the purple-haired teen while awake. What they had on hand may not have been enough to fully stabilize him, but may still have been enough to help. With Tohru asleep, this would be his best chance to go in and further treat him. The hunt for this bell was proving fruitless, leaving the others to finish it, or to search for a town with a hospital, while he turned back to give medical aide was starting to seem the best course of action, before it became too late.

"Eh?" Yogi blinked. "_There's nothing to be said?_" What exactly did Gareki mean by that? Before he had the chance to ask…

"Gareki, Yogi, look out behind you!" Nai called out.

"Huh?" The two of them blinked and looked up behind them, their eyes opening wide at the sight. How had that thing managed to slip up behind them without them noticing it?

"What the Hell is that!?" Gareki exclaimed.

Once again, the bell rang, this time, so close and so loud, it shook the ground beneath them. Nai let out a cry of discomfort and covered his ears. Tsukumo threw her arms around the Niji and held him close. He wasn't afraid of the sound, like the Shiki were, but it hurt his sensitive ears to be so close.

"SEE!?" Yogi exclaimed, "A Varuga with a clock! I told you, I told you!"

"THIS IS NO TIME TO BE CELEBRATING!" Gareki and Tsukumo both scolded him.

Sure enough, Yogi's theory had been correct. Standing before them was a large mass of towering black sludge, it almost looked like ink. At the top of the creature, where the monster's face should have been, sat the face of a clock, serving as the creature's eye. What would have been the door for the Cuckoo bird to come out of seemed to be serving as the creature's mouth. The 'eye' looked down at them and the 'mouth' opened, again the bell rang.

The Children of Circus covered their ears. "Now it all makes sense. The bell is the only vocalization this thing has!" Gareki grumbled.

"So now the question stands, is this the creature that pulled us here, and if so will destroying it actually take us back home?" Tsukumo said.

"I don't know," Yogi answered.

Gareki drew his gun. "But we're about to find out," he growled, shooting at the creature.

"What?" Nai and Yogi gasped.

"No way!" Gareki exclaimed.

"The bullets bounced right off?" Tsukumo gaped.

"Right, let me give it a try," Yogi said, raising his hands above his head as his swords began to materialize. "Brimming with a man's heart and spirit! The Sparkling Prince that makes your heart throb! From the Country's Defense Organization Circus! The Second Ship's Lieutenant Yogi has arrived!"

"I had forgotten how flamboyant that speech was," Gareki grumbled to himself. "_'The Sparkling Prince that makes your heart throb,' huh?_" he thought, "_Oh, Yogi, if you only knew._"

Yogi flew in toward the creature, weapons in hand. "Tsukumo-Chan, take Nai-Chan and get him somewhere safe," he instructed, "Just be sure to keep an eye out for that male Okiagari. Unlike Tohru and the girl, he can still come out in the daytime. Gareki-Kun, I'm counting on you for back up."

"Roger," Tsukumo acknowledged.

"Got it," Gareki replied.

"Come on, Nai-Chan," Tsukumo said, picking the half-Niji up in her arms, "They'll be alright." Nai nodded, he'd learned a long time ago there was no point in arguing when the others told him to move somewhere safe and let them fight. Tsukumo herself had become use to being pushed to the sidelines as Nai's babysitter, and sitting out most of the action, as her partner used every opportunity he could get to be at Gareki's side. She really wished the two of them would come to terms with one another and get it out of their systems, already.

Gareki took another shot at the creature, but again, the bullet was deflected. "Tsk, what the Hell is this thing's body made of?" he grumbled.

The black ink-like substance of the towering creature moved, forming what appeared to be arms. The hands of the clock weren't on it's face, but instead within the body mass, and the creature was using them as its arms. It swung at Gareki, who nimbly dodged out of the way and fired another bullet, hoping to find a weak point. It then turned its attention to Yogi, swatting at him like it was chasing a fly.

"Yogi, be careful!" Gareki exclaimed. Yogi zigzagged back and forth, avoiding each swipe from the creature. Gareki sighed and pushed a palm to his face, was Yogi taking this seriously, or just playing with the creature? "_Still afraid to fight after all this time?_" he thought. He blinked as he realized something. Every time Yogi had ever had to fight seriously, he always stated that he didn't like to fight, or got nervous when he had to. Gareki's eyes widened as he realized Yogi's words back in the Niji Forest. "_**I don't like fighting because failure isn't an option.**_" If Yogi used up too much of his energy, he would turn into his Silver personality. Gareki blinked, watching Yogi as he zipped around in the air. "_Does he know? How long has he known? Damn it all, has he been playing everyone for a fool?_" he thought.

Even Yogi's weapons didn't seem to be dealing any damage to the creature. Yogi began to pant. "Fine," the violet eyed blonde huffed. "I had hopped I wouldn't have to do this, I've been relying on them too much lately… DORNKISTE!" Yogi's rose thorned vines sprang from the hilts of his lances, wrapping tightly around the creature. "Now, maybe we can figure out what makes this thing tick."

Gareki raised an eyebrow. "You did not just say that?"

Yogi gave a chuckle and looked back at Gareki. "I always wanted a chance to say that ironically."

"Idiot," Gareki smirked.

"Huh!?" Yogi exclaimed as he felt a tug against the vines. "Crap, how is it still mobile!?" Gareki blinked he wasn't sure what surprised him more, the fact that the creature was exuding enough strength to try and pull Yogi with it, or the fact that Yogi just uttered a word stronger than 'Geeze'. Yogi tried to distance himself from the creature, tightening the grip of the vines, around it, and letting out some extra length to keep a distance from it and himself.

Gareki took up his gun and aimed it at the creature, trying once more to find a weak point where the bullets could damage. Nothing, the bullets ricocheted off once more, and only served to annoy the Varuga. Once more, the mouth opened, letting out the loud bell sound. Gareki started to cover his ears, the sound was louder than ever, but he wasn't the one who needed to keep his concentration. He could see it, Yogi had been awake since sunset the previous day, in fact all of them had been running off Tohru's biological clock, because it was the most convenient way of ensuring everyone got fed. Add that to the fact that Yogi had been using his thorns to trap animals and Okiagari alike and leaving the thorns as holding traps for prolonged periods of time, he was slowly wearing down. That bell probably bothered him almost as much as it did Nai in such close range. Rather than cover his own ears, he placed his hands over Yogi's to muffle the sound of the bell.

"Yogi, let it go," Gareki suggested, "You're in no condition to keep this up."

Yogi blushed and reluctantly nodded. It was best to cut their losses and double back, come back when they were stronger. If this thing was finding food out here, then it had to be feeding off the forest animals like they were, there had been no signs of people anywhere these past few days. Before Yogi could release the hold on the creature, however, it found a way to move one of its arms and catch hold of the vines. Yogi and Gareki both gasped, their eyes widening at the sight. Having taken them by surprise, the creature gave a yank on the vines and jerked Yogi towards itself. "Gyah!" Yogi exclaimed. He flinched, as he was drug in, it all happened so quickly he had no time to react, but the flinch caused his head to move into a position where Gareki's fingers, which had still been cupped around his ears, slid across his left cheek. Before anyone knew what was going on, Yogi was pulled inside the Varuga's mouth, and his allergy patch was fluttering toward the ground.

"YOGI!" Gareki called out in utter shock.


	19. 19 - Golden Locks and the Three Yogis

_**Author's Note:**_ Um… Yeah… How do I put this, "This chapter gets a little… weird"…? Yogi's about to have a conversation with himselves, and we're all taking a trip down the rabbit hole with them... (SORRY!) Think of it as something similar to Tohru-Chan's Nightmare chapter? Groan all you want, I couldn't resist this chapter title. Should I give a warning for implied Selfcest?

_**Chapter 19: Golden Locks and the Three Yogis**_

Yogi opened his eyes and looked around. It was dark. "**_Where am I?_**" he asked.

"**You mean where are we, don't you?**" his own voice replied.

"_**Aha!? S-Silver?**_" Yogi sprang to a sitting position and looked behind him. Standing just a few centimeters behind him, a disturbing smile across his face, his arms folded across one another, and his right leg posed so that his knees were crossed and his right ankle was positioned just behind the left one, was Yogi's silver-haired counter-part.

"**You haven't come to visit in a while, Blondie,**" the silver haired entity laughed. "**It was starting to get lonely with just Nyanperowna and myself.**" Silver Yogi approached Yogi and extended a hand to help him up. "**You must need me to pull you out of another mess? Who do I get to play with today, hmm?**" He smirked as Yogi reached out to accept his hand, "**Gareki-Kun's out there fighting your battle, isn't he?**"

Yogi jerked his hand away from the Silver haired version of himself, but not before slapping Silver Yogi's hand away. "_**If you go out there, you've GOT to promise me to leave him alone.**_"

Silver Yogi raised an annoyed eyebrow. "**Afraid he'll fall in love with me before he falls for you? Or still worried I'll kill him?**"

"_**Either, or both!**_" Yogi admitted, looking toward what should have been the ground.

"**Give me a break,**" Silver Yogi scoffed, "**Wake up and smell the roses, Blondie! In order to accept the whole person, he has to accept all three of us, not just one of us. We're all part of the same person. How many times have you tried to tell him since he came back from Kuronomei, and he's stopped you every time, right?**" Yogi hung his head and nodded. "**Give that brat one last chance, and then give him his walking papers! Even that dumb cat knows this is as frivolous as chasing a laser pointer any more!**" Silver Yogi pointed at an entity that looked like Nyanperowna sitting in a corner with a tea cup.

"_Nyan?_" the cat looked up and blinked at them.

"_**Don't drag Nyan-Chan into this,**_" Yogi sighed, putting a hand to his face, "_**Shi's supposed to be our neutral ground, and shi's not dumb! **_" He stood up and pointed a finger in the Silver entity's face."_**The point remains that I don't want to see him get hurt, and I certainly don't want US to be the one to hurt him. I don't care if he accepts one part of me, all of me, or none of me, I just want to know he's safe. It scares me every time I let you out. I never know who you're going to hurt. We've lost enough people in our life thanks to these Varuga without injuring any others ourselves.**_" Yogi sighed and wrapped his arms around himself, looking away from the Silver haired entity. They had both been aware of each other since before the incident on Rinoll, but the Silver personality didn't always ask permission to take over, and would sometimes not recognize new people. Yogi not only had the safety of Nai, Tsukumo, and Gareki to think about before unleashing his meaner side, but Tohru and Natsuno too, now. "_**Sometimes I just wish I could…!**_"

Silver Yogi smirked, when the golden blonde prince looked away from him. "**Wish you could what, Blondie?**" he asked with a playful giggle. He reached over and caught Yogi under the chin. His voice was soft and sweet, and yet utterly condescending. "**Could tell the world you're aware of me, so they can help you eliminate me, merge us into one again so that you'll have full control over this body?**" He forced the blonde to look him in the eyes and smiled. "**Don't look so surprised. You know good and damned well that we can't hide our thoughts and feelings from one another, we are the same person, after all. Do you think any of them would like us then? They're afraid of me, even OUR Gareki-Kun is afraid of me. You and our little yellow cat are the personalities we let everyone else see because the two of you are so 'loveable,'**" there was a slight bitterness in his voice as he spoke this last word. He sighed and pulled the blonde Yogi closer to himself. "**If you do tell them; you know what they'll do to us to make that happen, right? What Akari-Sensei will put us through? I don't fear the pink-haired jerk like you do, but even I don't want to spend the time with him that will take.**" By this point, the Silver Yogi's hand was gently caressing the cheek of the golden haired Yogi. "**I'd rather not spend my dying days under his care, that's for certain.**"

"_**No, I don't want that!**_" Yogi attempted to look away from his other self, but the Silver entity forced his gaze back.

"…ogi… YOGI!?" Natsuno's voice rang through the air, loud and clear, disrupting the veil under which the three entities were conversing.

Nyanperowna made no movement, but the Silver and Gold haired Yogis both looked around, holding hands with one another, now, as they saw sound waves ripple around them carrying both Gareki's voice, and the sound of the monster's bell. Silver Yogi smiled and looked back to Yogi. "**He's calling for us, rather desperately too, it seems. I'm tired of sitting in the shadows, let me go out and have some fun! We're in the belly of the beast, one of us has to wake up before it's too late, and that damned patch isn't there to stop me.**"

"_**But…!**_" Yogi tried to protest.

Silver Yogi smiled, leaned in and pushed his lips to Yogi's. "**Relax, I haven't killed him, yet, have I?**"


	20. 20 - All Players On Stage

_**Author's Note:**_ Um, sorry for the weirdness in the last chapter. I don't think I pulled Silver Yogi's personality off very well in this one, but I tried. Um, slight spoiler alert for something that's brought up in Chapter 73 of the Manga, something I probably should have utilized earlier instead of sending Gareki off to look for the Varuga. I do know I'm not the first person to bring it up in a fan-fic, though.

_**Chapter 20: All Players On Stage**_

Yogi opened his eyes as the light that enveloped him began to fade. No longer the timid blonde, the Silver haired personality had control of the body. He looked around, everything was pitch black from the ink or sludge, or whatever it was the Varuga's body mass was made up of, surrounding him. "**Tch-ha!**" he chuckled. "**No wonder it was so dark inside our head. I can barely see my hand in front of my face. What IS this stuff?**" He poked at it. "**Ew?**" He pulled back his finger, finding the black substance had pooled and coagulated on his finger tip. No longer a part of the creature, it felt thick and rubbery, and sticky. "**Augh, seriously? What is this! Maybe I should have let Blondie come back after all. It would have been fun to watch how he handled it.**" He sighed and stood up, flicking the substance of his hand. "**Oh well, it can't be helped, I suppose.**" He tapped the Circus ID and the swords reformed in his hands. He gave a determined grin. "**So, you're a creature of time and space. I suppose you tried to pull me into the void?**" He raised an eyebrow as his rose vines began to grow. Unlike his timid golden-haired counter part, Silver Yogi had no need for words to control the Incure Cells, he understood how the Cradle Cells in his body worked, and was able to use those to manipulate the Incure and Varuga cells alike, with effortless ease. "**Unfortunately for you, that's where I spend most of my time anyway, getting out of here's a piece of cake.**"

Silver Yogi dug the tips of his weapon into one of the walls of sludge and smiled as the vines began to root themselves into the creature. Outside, Gareki watched in horrified amazement as rose vines began to push their way out of the creature, whipping around wildly, and ultimately rending the creature asunder from the inside out. The arms were slung in one direction, the clock face in another, and the inky black sludge was strewn about into small tar-like pools across a large spread of the forest. Gareki was not surprised at what he saw in the center of the whirlwind of ink and thorns. He already knew that Silver Yogi had taken control.

"_Great,_" Gareki thought, "_So now we've got a frenzied vampire, AND Silver Haired Yogi to contend with. This mission just keeps getting better and better._"

Silver Yogi turned his eyes to Gareki, he smiled when the dark-haired teenager flinched, realizing he'd been caught in the Silver entity's gaze. The rose vines wrapped around Gareki and yanked him in. "**We meet again, Gareki-Kun,**" Silver Yogi chuckled. "**I here congratulations are in order? Finally got your Circus wings, did you?**" He caught Gareki under the chin. "**Quiet as ever, I see. Ne, Gareki, you'll play with me, won't you?**" He frowned when he saw the look in Gareki's eyes, "**Or do you actually prefer that blonde idiot who usually hosts this body? We're growing tired of you, you know?**" He smiled as he watched the look on Gareki's face. The dark haired male was exemplary at keeping his emotions hidden, but there were still tell-tale signs in his eyes to give him away. Silver Yogi could tell these words struck a cord. "**So, how about it, Gareki-Kun? We both know I don't have long within this body before I'm forced to give it back to that blonde idiot. Why don't we play a bit?**"

"I don't care for your kind of play, Yogi," Gareki answered, "Besides, with the Varuga gone, you need medical treatment, and you're not the only one."

Silver Yogi blinked and looked Gareki over. "**You don't look hurt. Hmm, you're usually injured or in deep trouble when I show up.**" His eyes scanned the area. "**Why is it you're always the only member of this team around when I first wake up? Are they the ones injured, or are they still afraid of me?**"

"They're not injured, and I can't speak for them on whether or not they're afraid of you. But there's an injured civilian close by, and no, it wasn't an injury from the Varuga before you ask," Gareki replied. He was surprised, the Silver Haired Yogi was showing an impressive amount of restraint, perhaps this version of himself remembered what happened to Yukkin? The playful malice was still in his voice as he spoke, but he wasn't being anywhere near as energetically rough and tumble as usual.

"**O~Oh… That's right,**" Silver Yogi chuckled, "**I was about to accuse you of sounding like Akari-Sensei. I almost forgot you're Tokitatsu-San's first official Combat Physician, aren't you?**" He chuckled, "**Well, then, that calls for double congratulations.**" Silver Yogi watched Gareki flinch as the rose vines tightened around him a little and one of the thorns poked him in the side, it didn't dig in deep enough to draw blood, but it was uncomfortable just the same. "**I'm not ready to go to sleep, but I'll accompany you back to the injured.**" He smiled and glanced around the forest. "**Something tells me there's something, or someone out there on my level of the playing field running around. But first…**" He caught Gareki by the throat with his hand. "**You know, when you head butted me back on Rinoll, I never did get my pay back for that.**"

"_No, no, no! Silver! I told you to leave him alone! Don't force him!_" the Silver entity could hear the golden Yogi's pleas in the back of his mind.

Silver Yogi smirked. "_**Shut up, Blondie!**_" he hissed in return, having a conversation in his head, once more, only this time fully aware of the external surroundings, "_**I'm the one in control right now. I promised I wouldn't kill him, I never said I wouldn't touch him. The decision is his in the end, but he needs a little encouragement.**_" Silver Yogi leaned forward and pushed his lips to Gareki's. The blonde Yogi would have never been so bold. Silver Yogi opened an eye and smiled. Gareki's entire face was flush red. "**Oh my… Gareki-Kun, don't tell me that was your first kiss?**" He smiled, knowing the thought of that was tearing his blonde persona to pieces.

"Get the hell off of me," Gareki growled, refusing to look the Silver haired post-human in the face. He had no intention of either confirming or denying anything of the sort. "And don't go drawing blood, that menace you're talking about would love it."

Silver Yogi smirked. "**Is that an order, Doctor?**"

Silver Yogi had put such emphasis on the last word, it almost made Gareki's skin crawl. But he was often more obedient toward Doctor Akari than his golden haired counter part. "If I said that it was, would you follow it?" Gareki asked.

Without giving a verbal answer, Silver Yogi once more pushed his lips to Gareki's before lowering both of them to the ground and removing the vines. He allowed the vines to scrape across Gareki's skin and tear at his clothes, but obeyed the 'order' not to draw blood. It was dangerous to let this entity stay awake for too long, but if Tatsumi made another appearance before they reached the cave, Silver Yogi's presence may prove much more advantageous than the usual Yogi. Besides, moving him to the cave would be much easier as long as he was conscious. "**I might enjoy having you as my doctor, instead of that pink-haired jerk anyway,**" he chuckled. "**Lead the way, Gareki-Sensei,**" he teased.

"Stop that," Gareki grumbled, "There's no need to start calling me -Sensei." Gareki wasn't paying attention as he thought out loud, "_When it comes to you, Yogi, there's no need for any superlative honorifics._" He blinked and glanced at Silver Yogi who was looking at him like a deer caught in the headlights, wondering if he should even ask if he had heard that right. Gareki hoped he hadn't just said that out loud. "We're going to have to fly; we're further from our destination than I should have ever allowed myself to get in the first place, and if we're not back by dark, I'm going to have an obstacle between me and the patient." Gareki looked around, he and Yogi had been so caught up with the Varuga, he hadn't seen which direction Nai and Tsukumo had gone, and if Yogi had seen, chances were the Silver Haired Yogi wouldn't remember. Gareki whistled and called out, "OI! Nai, if you can hear my voice, tell Tsukumo to meet us back at the cave!" He waited a brief moment. According to Tsukumo, Nai had sensed the first time Yogi transformed, so with any luck, they were already aware of the situation and doubling back. "Right, let's go."

Silver Yogi nodded. "**Right behind you.**"

Much to Gareki's disappointment, it was already dark by the time they reached the cave. Tohru had probably been awake for a good hour now. "Be on your guard, but don't needlessly attack anyone," Gareki instructed. Silver Yogi huffed, sounding a bit annoyed at this order, but nodded. Gareki was proving to be less fun than he'd hoped.

The blonde Shiki was still huddled in the back of the cave with Natsuno. Their kills from the day before were still good for the moment, but untouched, and would have to be dealt with soon before they began to stink and draw in woodland predators. The smell was already more than Tohru's nose cared for, but he refused to leave Natsuno's side, and had no preconceptions one way or another as to whether or not the Children of Circus would return. He heard them as they entered the cave and looked up. He hadn't lit the fire, yet, and his eyes were full of tears. "G-Gareki-Kun? Yogi!" Tohru leapt to his feet and threw his arms around Silver Yogi sobbing. He was going off of smell and voices, his night vision blurred by the icy cold droplets of water in his eyes. "Natsuno… Natsuno still hasn't woke up," he sobbed.

"**Whoa? What the hell?**" Silver Yogi asked, taken off guard. "**Wow, those tears are freezing.**"

Gareki sighed. "TOHRU!" he said firmly, "For the sake of your own safety, let go of Yogi, step away and take a good look at him."

Tohru blinked. He hadn't caught it until now, but there was something wrong with Yogi's energy all together. Tohru licked his lips, the scent of Yogi's blood was more powerful than usual, too. Slowly, he trailed his eyes upward toward Yogi's face. He flinched when he finally noticed the slate silver locks. "Eh!?" he jumped, putting arm's length between them. "So… This is what you were talking about…?" he muttered half coherently, as he cautiously reached an icy cold hand up to touch Silver Yogi's cheek.

"What?" Gareki asked.

"Aha, nothing, nothing!" Tohru said, rubbing the back of his head. He took a few more steps backwards, not trusting himself so close to this Yogi. He'd already frenzied more than he cared to this week.

Silver Yogi looked Tohru over, with a sadistic smile. Tohru was already aware Yogi wouldn't recognize him in this state. "**You…**" the silver haired entity said, moving closer to Tohru, "**You are not a Varuga, and yet not human either. You're something in between, aren't you? Yet still not quite post-human.**" Gareki went to check on Natsuno, to see if there was anything he could possibly do for the purple-haired teen. Silver Yogi backed Tohru into the wall, looking the timid Shiki over. Tohru could sense it, in his current state, Yogi was every bit as dangerous as Tatsumi, maybe even more so. Silver Yogi caught Tohru under the chin. "**Ne, Gareki, can I play with him, then?**"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Gareki scolded, "It's dangerous enough having both of you within bird's eye view of one another. Unlike you, he tries to fight back his violent nature, but every bit of his instincts are telling him to bite your neck and drain your blood. So give him some space."

"**Hmm…? How interesting. Too bad, I don't think I would have to fight for dominance with him like I would with you,**" Silver Yogi said, stepping back.

"He's already spoken for," Gareki retorted, ignoring the blush on Tohru's face. Tohru and Silver Yogi both took notice in the fact that Gareki said nothing about the portion of that comment that had referred to himself.

"Gareki?" Nai's voice came from the entrance of the cave.

"Nai?" the others greeted him.

"Where's Tsukumo?" Gareki asked.

"She said she's going to try and find a town, so we can get Natsuno-Kun to a hospital," Nai answered. "…? Ah! Silver Colored Yogi, hello!"

Silver Yogi smiled. "**Nai-Chan!**" He hugged the Niji half breed. "**You've gotten bigger since the last time I saw you, haven't you?**"

"Oi!" Gareki growled, "This place is getting crowded now. Yogi," he pointed to the animals from the night before. "Get those out of here, skin and clean them if we don't eat them tonight, we'll have to throw them all outside. Tohru, go and find yourself something to eat, but be careful of the other two, after last night, I imagine they're just as eager to get rid of you as you are them. Nai, when Yogi's through cleaning the animals, you can help him cook, and after dinner, IF he's still awake, the two of you can play hide and seek or something."

"Gareki-Kun?" Tohru blinked.

"Don't worry, Tohru, I'll do what I can for Natsuno," Gareki assured him, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left in the first place.

"**Hey…?**" Silver Yogi finally noticed the head to the Nyanperowna costume. "**What happened here?**" He picked it up and looked at it. "**Nyan-Chan lost hir head?**" He smirked. "**Stupid yellow cat.**"

"Tsukumo-Chan kind of fell on her," Tohru answered with a nervous giggle.

Silver Yogi returned his attention to Tohru. "**Oh, do I make you nervous?**" he chuckled, having sensed it in Tohru's voice.

"YOGI!" Gareki scolded.

Silver Yogi sighed. "**FIIIINE!**" he grumbled, "**You'd better watch that, Gareki-Kun, or you might turn into Akari-Sensei, then our little yellow cat will end up hating you, too.**"


	21. 21 - Transfusion

_**Author's Note:**_ It still vexes me that a series about Vampires doesn't list character blood types, especially when one of the characters is a doctor who keeps carrying on about Anemia. WTF, Shiki, I realize it might not matter one way or another after they turned, but what about while they were still human?

_**Chapter 21: Transfusion**_

"Damn it all!" Gareki fumed, now that he was alone in the cave, as he began to dig through the medical supplies he did have on hand. "Gold, Silver, even that stupid orange cat, no matter which persona he shows, he never fails to find a way to fluster and confound me!" He traced a finger across his lips, he could still feel where they had connected with Silver Yogi's. Not once, but twice! "What the hell was he thinking?" He closed his eyes and shook his head. "I don't have time to let myself get distracted over such things." He returned to Natsuno's side. He pressed his fingers to the purple-haired teen's wrist and gave a relieved sigh. The boy still had a pulse, it was faint but it was there. Slow rise and fall of Natsuno's chest and Adam's apple proved he was still breathing as well. Gareki smiled. "I knew you were too stubborn to die that easily. But you should be ashamed of yourself for worrying your little _**pet**_ like this."

Gareki sighed he knew what needed to be done; Natsuno's blood had been stolen three times, and willingly given once in less than two weeks. He desperately needed a transfusion. The problem was, nobody knew what his blood type was, even Tohru, who insisted the only person who's blood was more enticing was Yogi's had no idea. A transfusion from Yogi was out of the question, Type B blood or no it didn't change the fact that with Cradle Cells, Varuga Cells, and Incure all in one stream, there was a fifty-fifty chance of killing him, and if he survived, then there was the risk of him becoming a Varuga or Post-Human, or something worse. Nai's blood was also out of the question, the albino was half animal after all, and his blood type was also mystery. Tohru was clearly not an option, for obvious reasons. "And Tsukumo's not here at the moment. What was her type again, Type A?" he sighed, realizing he was left with only one alternative. "Good thing I've got Nai and the Silver Haired Yogi out there skinning last night's kills. I'm going to be extremely hungry after this." He brushed a stray strand of hair of Natsuno's face. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't found the younger teen to be a kindred spirit. "Good thing I'm Type-O," he smirked, it was the universal donor after all. "There's no way your body can reject my blood."

He found the proper vein on Natsuno's arm sterilized it and the needle, before piercing it into the boy's arm. He then did the same to his arm, it was a medieval method of doing things, but it was sufficient. Gareki gave as much blood as he could spare without losing consciousness. He bandaged both their arms and leaned against the back of the cave wall. He'd done all he could for now. Until Tsukumo returned with directions to a hospital, the rest was up to Natsuno.

Moments of silence passed, before Gareki felt a cold, shaky hand catch his wrist. "Gareki?" a groggy voice asked.

Gareki looked up and smiled. "Finally awake, Natsuno?" he replied.

Natsuno's eyes blinked. His vision was blurred, and all his strength was being put into holding onto Gareki's wrist. The fifteen-year-old's breathing was still slow and his voice sounded a bit labored. "Awake, yes, but I feel like I got run over by a damned train." He gave an involuntary shiver as he finished this sentence. "That pink bitch nearly…" he didn't care to finish that sentence, he knew right where that train of thought was going to take him. "You…" He blinked up at Gareki, taking in the tired look on the older teen's face. "You look like Hell… You really look like how I feel. What'd you do, give me your blood?"

"How astute of you," Gareki replied.

"Idiot," Natsuno smirked, tiredly.

"Ungrateful brat," Gareki retorted with a chuckle.

"Thanks," Natsuno sighed, finally releasing Gareki's wrist. "How's Tsukumo-Chan?"

"You just barely doge the Grim Reaper's Scythe and you're asking about someone else? You're a cheekier bastard than I took you for," Gareki replied. "She's fine. That dog-eared bastard only took enough blood to knock her out for a few minutes, she's currently out trying to find a town with a hospital. As for that 'pink bitch' as you so eloquently put it, your little pet Vampire surprised everyone, he nearly ripped her throat out."

Natsuno closed his eyes and attempted to shake his head. "That doesn't sound like Tohru at all, but then, his brother and sister always warned he wasn't someone to anger. …?" Natsuno opened his eyes and looked around the cave again, his vision somewhat better now, "Speaking of Tohru, where is he?"

"I sent him out to find something to eat. He won't be able to rely on you for a matter of days in your current condition, and we can't have him feeding off the rest of us," he assured the younger teen. "_Especially with Yogi in the state he's in,_" he thought to himself.

"I thought it odd he wasn't at my side. I know I heard him earlier," Natsuno said quietly.

"You heard him?" Gareki asked.

"I was unconscious and going into a coma, not dead and deaf!" Natsuno retorted. "To think I'm the reason he returned as a Shiki…? Damn, I guess I'm more responsible for him than I thought." Natsuno closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. "Do me a favor, Gareki?"

"My blood is flowing through your veins, Natsuno, I think my charitable list of favors I can afford you is already running out," Gareki replied, crossing his arms. "What is it?"

Natsuno smirked. That was the sort of reply he'd expected. "Just don't tell him I woke up yet, alright?" Gareki stiffened at this request, looking at Natsuno confusedly. "I don't even have the strength to sit up, let alone deal with his usual over emotionalism should he learn I've been awake. Just let him know everything's going to be alright. He and I will talk when I'm strong enough."

Gareki smiled, somehow, he'd had a feeling Natsuno's request would involve certain effects on the blonde Shiki's emotional levels. "Fair enough," he conceded, "You get as much rest as you need. Until then, I promise we'll keep an eye on Tohru for you." Gareki gave Natsuno a reassuring smile and patted the younger teen's hand, but Natsuno was able to read him like a book.

"I'm sorry to add one more to your list of baby sitting duties until then. I promise I'll take him off your hands as soon as I'm able to," Natsuno said with a strained chuckle.

"It wouldn't be so bad," Gareki admitted, "But I've got Yogi to tend to soon, as well. I can't deny my hands are full, but I won't complain and refuse to do it, either."

"Yogi got hurt?" Natsuno asked.

"Not exactly," Gareki said, rubbing the back of his own head.

"Silver?" Natsuno asked. Gareki nodded. "You poor bastard, you really do have your hands full."

"I'll manage," Gareki insisted. "In the meantime, you get some sleep."


	22. 22 - Cats and Dogs Part 1

_**Chapter 22: Cats and Dogs Part 1**_

Gareki light the fire and sat back against the wall, keeping a watchful eye on his sleeping patient. The purple-haired fifteen year old looked rather peaceful in his sleep. Gareki smirked as he remembered the last words Natsuno had spoke to him before slipping back into a state of quiet unconsciousness, "_**Just remember, Gareki; if I wake up and find you've been feeding him in my stead, I WILL kill you.**_"

He wasn't sure why Natsuno felt it necessary for that little addendum. Gareki had no intentions of allowing himself to get bitten. "Not that Yogi would ever let Tohru get close enough for that anyway," he mused out loud. Outside of willingly submissive to Natsuno and Gareki's admittedly violent outbursts of anger, Tohru and Yogi were both nothing if not jealously over protective of the two younger dark-haired teens. Of course, the Yogi that was currently present, Silver Yogi, was simply jealous. While Yogi himself would willingly take any punishment Gareki doled out, Silver Yogi was more inclined to turn the tables on Gareki, and woe to anyone else who would dare touch him.

Tohru came shambling into the cave long before Nai and Silver Yogi ever did. "Gareki-Kun?" Tohru asked quietly, as he approached the dark-haired teenagers.

"Did you manage to find yourself something?" Gareki asked as Tohru sat down. The blonde Shiki only nodded. "What's with this 'I've lost my only friend' look?"

"I may as well have," Tohru sighed, looking down at Natsuno. "Until my death forced him to start spending time with Megumi's friend Kaori-Chan and her little brother Akira-Kun, I was his only friend." Tohru tucked his knees up to his chest and caught hold of his ankles with his hands. "When I rose as a Shiki, Megumi was the only schoolmate I had among them, later another friend became one, but I hadn't really had the chance to see him. By now, Sunako's probably noticed that Tatsumi, Megumi, and I have disappeared along with Natsuno, and labeled me a traitor. Natsuno was the only person I could have turned to among the living and I betrayed his trust the first time I bit him, even if it was for his own good."

"Don't talk about him in the past as if he's already gone," Gareki scolded, "He's not done for just yet." Gareki looked down at the sleeping teenager who was their topic of discussion. "And he seems to have forgiven you for that first bite."

Tohru closed his eyes and rested his chin on his knees. He flinched and stiffened, before he started to sniff at the air. "Why does it smell like fresh blood in here?" he asked.

"_CRAP!_" Gareki thought, "_Don't tell me the scent will be enough to make him frenzy?_"

"Gareki!" Nai called, running in to the cave and throwing his arms around the black-haired teen.

"**It took some work on those fish, but this stuff's ready to start cooking,**" Yogi's voice followed as Silver Yogi entered the cave. "**Huh…?**" Silver Yogi walked over to the others and leaned in close to Gareki. "**You look like death warmed over, Gareki-Kun, what happened?**"

"Nothing," Gareki replied, looking away.

Tohru's eyes widened with a sense of clarity as realization hit him. "You…?" His knees and hands hit the ground, pushing himself on all fours. "You gave him a blood transfusion, didn't you? Then that means…?"

"**Wait, you what?**" Silver Yogi exclaimed.

Gareki sighed and smiled, reaching across, he ruffled a hand through Tohru's hair. "I told you not to count him out just yet. He's just sleeping, but it'll be a full week at best before he can sustain any further blood loss. Let him have his rest, and when he wakes up, give him some space to eat. You two can talk when he's ready."

Tohru closed his eyes and smiled. A relieved, yet unnecessary sigh escaped the Okiagari's lips, his whole body seeming to relax. "Thank you, Gareki-Kun."

"**That's uncharacteristically generous of you, Gareki-Kun,**" Silver Yogi said with a frown, crossing his arms. He was almost jealous, not just the Silver personality, but all three of them felt a twinge of jealousy, but that twinge wasn't strong enough to act upon. "**I suppose we'd better get you some food, quick, then. Nai-Chan, help me with this, will you?**"

Once the food was cooked, Gareki wolfed down his fair share of the food, he had his own substantial blood loss to account for, after all. What would have been Natsuno's share was allowed for seconds and leftovers, as it seemed quite clear that the purple-haired teen wouldn't wake up again for the remainder of the night. Tsukumo's share was set aside on some cloths and tied shut for when she returned.

"Well, well, well," a sinister voice rang from the cave entrance, dripping with venom and accompanied by bemused chuckles. "If it isn't Mr. Goggles, the rodent, and the two blonde mop-tops."

"_**Who **__**are **__**you **__**calling **__**a **__**M**__**o**__**p**__**-**__**T**__**o**__**p**__**!**__**?**_" Tohru and Silver Yogi both exclaimed.

Gareki smirked. "Mop-tops? Of course, I see what you're talking about. Ya' know, I never actually stopped to think about it," he teased.

"Gareki, what's a mop-top?" Nai inquired.

"Shut up Gareki," Tohru growled.

"**Stow it, Nai!**" Silver Yogi snarled.

"I thought you guys would have left this spot, now that Megumi-Chan and I know where it is. I came to claim Natsuno's corpse so we can watch him become one of us," Tatsumi said. "He must not be completely dead yet, but I'm guessing he's in bad shape if you haven't moved him yet. Good work, Tohru-Kun, you and Megumi-Chan have almost completely rid us of any threat he holds toward us."

"Claim his corpse?" Tohru spat, "Do you honestly think I would hand him over to you?"

"I honestly thought _**you**_ would have taken him for dead, abandoned him, and ran, like the coward you are," Tatsumi answered.

Gareki raised an eyebrow. He knew this was a volatile move, but Silver Yogi had been looking for a challenge ever since he woke up. "Yogi…"

"**What?**" Silver Yogi snarled. Tatsumi raised an eyebrow, he realized there was something odd. Unlike Tohru, he'd already noticed the change in hair color and energy waves before he spoke, but he knew by the scent and sounds that this was indeed the same person as before.

"You've been looking for a 'playmate' ever since you woke up, right? This is the same person you sensed on your energy level out in the woods earlier," Gareki informed him.

Silver Yogi smiled a devious smile, his eyes narrowing in on the green haired Jinrou. "**Oh really….?**" He gave a sinister chuckle. "**Yes, now that you mention it, I can sense that. Ne, Gareki-Kun…?**" His voice was dripping with mischievousness, even as he nearly sang Gareki's name in hopes of being permitted to tear into the Jinrou.

Gareki smiled and crossed his arms. "This guy's bitch is the reason Natsuno-Kun needed a transfusion in the first place. Tohru messed her up pretty badly last night, though. You want a go at this guy?" He could see Silver Yogi's fingers twitching in anticipation. The target was already in his sights and locked on.

"**Really, Tohru-Chan? Not as timid as we thought you were huh?**" Silver Yogi asked, not once looking away from what he hoped was his soon-to-be prey.

"Well," Tohru blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Even us yellow bellied pussy cats have a mean streak every now and then."

Gareki tried to hold back a chuckle. "Yogi, you have your target, knock yourself out. Just make sure the dog's fangs don't get anywhere near you."


	23. 23 - Cats and Dogs Part 2

_**Author's Note:**_ Zeroize, thank you so much for your kind comment! To all of my commenters, favoriters, and followers, thank you all for supporting me through this story. I'm glad I've been able to keep everyone entertained so far. I still don't know how many more chapters this is going to run-it's already gone longer than I expected, but it can't be much longer now, can it? Depends on my muse, I guess; I've still got "Another Way Part 3" to get back to when I finish this. I had trouble concentrating on this chapter, but in all honesty, that's because I SUCK at writing fight scenes. You want comedy? I'll write something I find humorous, you might not laugh, but I'll do it anyway. You want a sex scene in an M rated story? I can give you that! You want me to pull a Steven King and spend half a chapter describing a toaster or a bathtub? That will be the most complex toaster or most elaborate, immaculate bathtub in the world. Romance? Friendship? Comfort/Hurt? Not a problem… But a fight scene…? Yeah, I'll get to it sooner or later. Sorry, I'm rambling, it's just I realize where my weaknesses lie.

_**Chapter 23: Cats and Dogs Part 2**_

Silver Yogi's eyes narrowed in on Tatsumi. Gareki had given the order, this creature was his target. A simple smug twist upward of Yogi's head and a lash of thorned vines flew in the Jinrou's direction like a whip. Tatsumi dodged the vines and the two chased one another outside, both of them smiling from ear to ear. Just as Silver Yogi had been looking for a fight, Tatsumi had also been itching for a real challenge. He thought he would get that when Tohru frenzied, but now, he was really intrigued with Yogi's prowess.

"Now, this is something more my speed," Tatsumi laughed. "Keep up if you can, Pussy-Cat." He threw a punch at Silver Yogi, who was purposefully avoiding his weapons and thorns from here on out; he wanted to test Tatsumi's strength first, rather than putting a quick end to things.

Silver Yogi caught the Jinrou's wrist and smirked. "**You'll have to throw better than a punch if you want to keep up with me, Mut,**" he replied. Still holding Tatsumi's wrist, he round kicked the Jinrou in the stomach, sending him flying into a nearby tree.

Nai, Gareki, and Tohru stood cautiously observant at the cave entrance. Gareki had every faith that Silver Yogi would ensure that they wouldn't be harmed as long as they stayed out of the way. "Well, Tohru," Gareki stated, leaning against the wall of the cave entrance, "Last night, we got to see you bare your fangs. Tonight, you'll get to see what happens when Yogi bares his claws."

"I've never seen Yogi fight with his bare hands, before," Nai observed.

Gareki nodded, "This is true. Even the Silver Haired Yogi rarely fights without his weapons. It's almost as if he's toying with this guy."

"The same could be said about Tatsumi-Kun," Tohru sighed, "He's always fighting bare handed, but he's not giving this battle his full strength. They're testing each other."

Silver Yogi flew at the green-haired Jinrou and landed a punch in the Okiagari's face. Tatsumi caught hold of Silver Yogi's elbow. One bite to Yogi's hand, and he could have this kind of power running through his own veins. But wasn't the Post-Human Prince's hand he wanted, he had his sights set on Yogi's jugular, right where he could obtain the most blood in a single feeding. "Megumi-Chan was right…" he snarled, twisting Silver Yogi's arm, "I don't know who you flying Circus Freaks are, but you're definitely much stronger than you look." He licked his lips. "I'm going to drain you until you're immobile. But, I think I'll let you watch me feed off your friends before I finish you off completely. You look like the kind of guy who'll enjoy watching them suffer."

Silver Yogi caught the Jinrou by the throat with his free arm. This was not a haphazard move that Yogi had to stop and think about. It was instantaneous and purposeful. "**This fight is between us,**" he warned, venom dripping in his every word. "**Cats and dogs only. I suggest you leave tending the mice to the felines.**"

"Who are you calling mice?" Tohru and Gareki both growled.

Nai frowned. "_Why must everyone insist on associating me with a rodent?_" he thought dejectedly to himself.

Tatsumi gave a strained laugh. "Have you forgotten everything they've told you about my species in that new body of yours?" he asked sinisterly. He could read the confusion in Silver Yogi's eyes. There wasn't necessarily fear-this Yogi didn't know the meaning of the word, or surprise, but confusion as to why the Jinrou wasn't struggling for air, he was putting enough force on the windpipe a cow would have fallen unconscious by this point. "Jinrou don't need to breath!" Silver Yogi received a kick in the stomach, sending him flying backwards. Tatsumi huffed and shook his head. "Such power, why waste it on protecting weaklings? Humans are a doomed race!"

Silver Yogi flew backwards from the kick. The force sent him tumbling to the ground and head over heels from a moment. The silver haired entity began to laugh as he stood. "**If you don't know the answer to that, then you don't deserve to hear it from my lips.**" An all around unexpected yet entirely acceptable answer. "**Oi, Gareki-Kun,**" Silver Yogi's eyes shifted toward the trio standing in the entrance of the cave. "**You never said hold no quarter for this guy, you know?**"

Gareki raised an eyebrow, was Silver Yogi actually asking for permission? "I never said give it to him, either," Gareki replied quietly.

Silver Yogi smiled and licked his lips, returning his gaze to the Jinrou. Normal Yogi had long since become quiet inside his head, cowering back at the sight of the green haired Jinrou and willingly allowing his meaner silver haired counter part to fight as he saw fit. "_So long as none of our friends get hurt,_" was the last thing the Silver entity had heard from the blonde who owned the body.

Silver Yogi came at Tatsumi again. Tatsumi dodged a left fisted punch, only to have been faked out and take a right to the jaw instead. Tatsumi gave a lunge at Silver Yogi who leapt into the air, landing on the Jinrou's head. Jumping off, he turned to face the Jinrou, kicking his green haired opponent in the back, throwing him to the ground and sending him rolling toward the cave.

"_Damn it all, right now we're evenly matched,_" Tatsumi thought, standing up, "_I guess I didn't take enough of that girl's blood to last a few days, either that or she was the weaker of the bunch. I've got to step up my game if I want to beat this guy._" He smirked, thinking his next move would not only strengthen him, but give the silver haired entity a shake, knocking down his morale. "_Luckily, there's a veritable buffet on the sidelines._" He leapt into the air and landed in front of the cave entrance. Kicking Nai and Tohru aside in one fell swoop, he caught hold of Gareki and drug him away from the entrance by the neck. "So kind of you to supply your opponent a mid-fight snack," the Jinrou chuckled, fully ignoring Silver Yogi's warnings about leaving the 'mice' alone.

Tohru pushed himself up, rubbing the top of his head and lightly shaking it. "I didn't even think it was possible to get a concussion," he grumbled quietly. His coal black eyes opened and looked around, falling on Nai, who was doubled over, with his hand on his stomach and eyes closed. "Nai-Chan, are you alright?" he exclaimed, rushing to the albino's side.

Gareki tried to squirm free of Tatsumi, even made an attempt for his gun, but Tatsumi's hand was choking the air from his neck, making it difficult for him to do anything. "This guy's been pulling your strings since we started this fight," Tatsumi chuckled observantly. "I didn't think cats like to be lead around on leashes, so let me do you a favor by clipping those strings for you, huh?" He wrapped his free arm around Gareki's body, pulling the dark haired seventeen year old close. He gave a sinister smile as he tilted Gareki's head into just the right position. "I'm leaving you just enough air to scream," he whispered, "So be sure to scream good and loud for me, huh?" Gareki closed his eyes, determined not to give the Jinrou the satisfaction.

Gareki braced himself for the bite. Instead, what he felt was a sharp tug as his assailant's hands were ripped off of him, followed by the ground as he landed on his stomach. Gareki threw his right hand to his throat, coughing and sputtering for air as he pushed himself up with his left and looked up. Silver Yogi was between him and Tatsumi, glowering at the Jinrou, and Tatsumi was being held in the air by Yogi's thorned vines. "**Didn't I tell you to leave the 'mice' to me?**" Silver Yogi asked flatly. "**This one is especially off limits. You see, he's been in control, because I know better than to disobey a doctor's orders. But that's not why I'm protecting HIM. The little yellow cat inside me made me promise not to let any harm come to him if I came out to play. You see, it's the golden haired me that lets this guy drag him around by the leash. And whatever the golden one wants, I make sure he gets!**" He moved in close to the Jinrou, tightening the hold of the vines around the Okiagari's arms, midsection, and legs, letting the thorns dig deep into the Vampire's flesh.

"Gareki-Kun!" Tohru called from the cave entrance, "Nai-Chan's injured!" Gareki and Silver Yogi both froze, their eyes widening a bit. "Tatsumi, you monster! He's just a child!"

Tatsumi smirked. He didn't care one way or another who had got hurt. "Feeling brave now that you've got these freaks protecting you, are you Tohru-Kun?" Tohru hissed at him, but he knew better than to go in after Silver Yogi's target, lest he found himself on the wrong end of those vines out of sheer principal.

"YO~ho~Gi~hee," Gareki coughed, pushing himself to his feet. He stood and narrowed his eyes at Tatsumi. Falling silent for a moment, he weighed his options and decided on a course of action. Leaving this guy alive would only prove further nuisance down the road. But could it really be considered killing him if he had already died once. It was a call he was hesitant to make with Tohru so close in earshot, but knowing that Tsukumo had already been drained once, too, and therefore could probably be manipulated when she arrived, the more and more clear this order became. "If we were back home, this creature would be treated as a Varuga of Kafka classifications. He and his kind would be ordered dead, just like their mindless counterparts, simply because they pose a threat to the safety of others. … Do with him as you like, hold no quarter." That hadn't been an easy decision, not when the enemy appeared so human like in appearance, not when he and Yogi had spent enough time with them to consider Natsuno and Tohru friends. But on the other hand, Tatsumi had pushed this to the point of a kill or be killed situation. This was the only option he saw getting their team out of this alive. "Tohru! Get back inside the cave!" Gareki ordered, as he ran back. "I can use your help tending to Nai, and I don't want you to have to watch this."


	24. 24 - Running Out of Options

_**Chapter 24: Running Out of Options**_

"Yogi, not that he had one to begin with, but aim one of those vines of yours straight for where his heart should be," Tohru called out as he followed Gareki back into the cave to check on Nai.

"Nai, are you alright?" Gareki asked, kneeling down next to the Niji half-breed.

Nai blinked his eyes open and gave a quiet nod. "It hurts, but I'm alright."

"Here, let me have a look, alright?" Gareki sighed. Nai nodded and pulled his shirt up in compliance, giving a slight wince of pain in the process. "You're bruised up pretty bad," Gareki said, gently running a finger around the area, "Does it hurt to touch it?" Nai shook his head.

"Then there's a chance it's nothing more than a bruise," Tohru said sounding a bit relieved. "_Though that doesn't rule out the possibility of internal bleeding or fractured bones, but we don't have what we need to check for such things here,_" he thought worriedly. Gareki looked at the Shiki, before he began to wrap a bandage around the half-Niji's midsection, as if he had read Tohru's mind, warning him to put any such dangerous ideas out of his head.

Meanwhile, outside, the air was flooded with painful grunts, groans, and howls coming from Tatsumi as Silver Yogi dug the rose vines into Tatsumi's flesh, still toying with him like a cat with a rat. "**You enjoy making others suffer, don't you, Tatsumi-Kun?**" Silver Yogi chuckled, "**We're a lot alike in that regard,**" he admitted, "**But I don't like other people playing with my toys when uninvited. Once I'm done with you, I'm going to give that blonde in there a serious berating for failing to act fast enough to keep you off of Gareki-Kun. In the meantime, however? How does it feel, to be on the receiving end for a change? You see, if you don't know what it's like on both ends of the spectrum, you shouldn't be dishing it out by the handfuls.**"

Tatsumi squirmed, trying to wiggle free of the vines. The vines ripped at his clothes and flesh, digging deep into his body and drawing blood. For the first time since raising as a Jinrou, he felt a cold rush of fear with in him that this might be his last battle. He'd thought he and the Post-Human were on even terms, but now he was beginning to worry he may have underestimated his opponent. It wasn't fear for his life (or lack thereof) or fear for his soul, it wasn't even the pain that had caused those yellow eyes of his to fill up with fear like that. "_S-Sunako,_" he thought to himself, "_I'm only sorry I won't have the chance to say goodbye._"

"Tohru," Gareki sighed as the three of them sat sitting inside the cave, waiting for Silver Yogi to make the final blow, "I want you to understand that I don't like the decision I made out there. It's a decision I made taking into consideration what we would have to do if we were in our world, as well as calculating the risks to all of us if something permanent wasn't done. I won't let Yogi lay a finger on you when he walks back inside this cave."

Tohru nodded quietly. "I understand, Gareki, and thank you. I…" Suddenly out of nowhere, the bell sounded again. Tohru leapt away from Gareki and Nai and cowered in the corner, whimpering.

Gareki ran to the cave entrance. "What the hell? Is that thing still alive?" he exclaimed.

"**Impossible!**" Silver Yogi insisted, looking around, allowing himself to become distracted. "**When I put a Varuga down, they stay dead!**"

"Then you didn't actually kill it. The clock body must still be intact," Gareki said.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Tatsumi ripped himself free of the vines, heedless to the pain as the thorns tore through his skin. Silver Yogi quickly returned his attention to the green haired Jinrou. Tatsumi knew he'd need to incapacitate Silver Yogi temporarily to prevent immediate chase. He landed a punch in the unsuspecting Silver entity's face, accompanied by a good swift kick to the groin. As Silver Yogi slumped in pain, proving that even he was vulnerable there, Tatsumi darted off into the woods, back toward where he'd hidden Megumi.

"Yogi!?" Gareki rushed to Silver Yogi's side.

"**Gyah…**" Silver Yogi groaned. "**The son of a bitch got away.**" He refused to look up at Gareki, his pride had been damaged in several different ways tonight, and he knew Gareki already had the tranquilizer shot ready for use.

"You tore him up pretty badly, though, Yogi," Gareki stated, "It may be a while yet before we see him again." He cautiously knelt down next to Silver Yogi. Gareki had seen this transformation enough times to know how it worked. Silver Yogi kept associating Yogi with a yellow cat. If that were true, then the golden blonde man-child who owned this body was the loveable, playful kitten mewling for attention, Nyanperowna was the neutral ground, and Silver Yogi was the fangs and claws of a frightened or angry cat lashing out to protect his territory and all that he held dear. That being said, caution was the key to approaching the Silver entity when it was time to treat him. "Yogi," Gareki gently reached toward him.

Silver Yogi slapped Gareki's hand away. "**Don't touch me! I know what you're up to!**" he hissed.

"What was all that earlier about knowing not to disobey a doctor's orders?" Gareki chided.

"**That's different!**" Silver Yogi protested.

"Do I need to remind you what'll happen if you don't let me put you to sleep and medicate you?" Gareki asked with a sigh.

"**Everyone says it'll kill my host body,**" Silver Yogi scoffed, "**But look how long I've stayed this time with nothing happening! The other me is too soft, and lets himself get pushed around too easily.**"

Gareki sighed and put a hand to his head. "_He's really going to make me do this, isn't he?_" he thought. "_Ok, NEW APPROACH!_" he thought determinedly as he turned his attention back to Silver Yogi. "Yogi, you did good out here tonight, but you've used up more energy than I should have allowed. I've been making a lot of bad judgments in my role as a physician on this mission. I'm not asking you to let me do this because nobody likes or cares about you. It doesn't matter which side of you we're seeing, you're still our Yogi and the rest of us care about you. I'm asking you to let me do this because you're tired and injured and everyone's worried about you. I… We don't want to loose our little yellow cat, or our orange one, or our silver one."

"**Gareki-Kun…?**" Silver Yogi turned his head to look up at the dark-haired teenager. He'd caught that slight stutter before that last sentence and instantly knew there was more meaning behind Gareki's words. He smiled and gave a chuckle. "**You realize how sappy that sounds, don't you? Especially coming from you?**" He stood up and turned to face the young combat physician. "**For the record, I don't believe you've made a wrong decision, yet.**" He rolled up his sleeve and held out his arm. "**Fine, you win.**" He glanced away. He blinked and almost blushed when Gareki hooked an arm around him from behind, catching him just around the chest with his arm, and grabbing hold of his outstretched arm.

Gareki leaned forward and gently whispered in Silver Yogi's ear. "Everything's going to be alright. I'll watch over you until you're ready to wake up again. For now, just sleep." He pushed the needle firmly into Silver Yogi's arm and administered the entire injection.

Almost instantaneously, Silver Yogi collapsed into Gareki's arms, fast asleep with a look of peace on his face. Gareki dropped the syringe and wrapped both arms around Yogi, pulling the Post-Human Prince close and sweeping a stray strand of slate silver hair out of his face. He gave a quiet sigh of relief as he cradled Yogi in his arms, watching the silver locks return to their beautiful sunshine golden color.

"Gare~ki-Ku~n!" Tsukumo's voice called out as she approached. She stopped mid-flight and took in the scene. "Is Yogi alright!?"

"Tsukumo-Chan," Gareki sighed, glad to see her unharmed. "He'll be fine. The other Yogi just had a fight with the Okiagari, and it sounds as if the Varuga might still be out there. So, how'd your search go?"

"I found a town, but we won't be able to move both Yogi and Natsuno before daybreak," she answered. "I know what that means for Tohru-Chan, but we've got to think of their wellbeing first."

"I have a feeling he'd be inclined to agree with you. I hope he will at least. Nai needs medical attention too," Gareki sighed.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO NAI!?" Tsukumo gasped worriedly.

"That dog-eared bastard kicked him and Tohru back into the cave in attempt to get at me. Needless to say, Yogi wasn't too keen on that idea. Nai's bruised and I bandaged him up, but I need a way to make sure he doesn't have any internal injuries."

"Carrying all three will be difficult," Tsukumo sighed.

"I can handle Yogi," Gareki insisted, "He's taller than either of us, but I can manage."

"Natsuno-Kun isn't as tall as Yogi, but still taller than me. Still, I think I can handle carrying him. Is Nai-Chan conscious?"

Gareki nodded. "He is."

"Then he can piggyback on my shoulders," Tsukumo offered.

"Are you sure? That's a lot of extra weight for you to carry, it's only been a day since your blood was drained," Gareki asked worriedly.

Tsukumo put a hand to her neck, "Is there a single member of our group who hasn't been injured yet?" she sighed. Gareki only shook his head. The answer to that was an obvious 'NO', and there were only three of them who were strong enough to do anything, and one who's movements would soon be hindered. "I don't mind," she insisted.


	25. 25 - Confessions 1

_**Chapter 25: Confessions 1**_

Gareki managed to work everything out. While Tsukumo returned for Tohru, Gareki was talking things over with the clinic's administration. Nai, Yogi, and Natsuno were all admitted for immediate treatment. Gareki insisted Natsuno only receive Type-O transfusions as his blood type was unknown. Since Tohru would be unpredictable being confined to a small hospital room, and Yogi had a fear of doctors, it was also advised that no one enter either patient's room without Gareki accompanying them. Yogi was admitted to a room directly across the hall. Nai was examined and aside from the bruises, was given a clean bill of health.

In order to pay for all the resources the hospital would be using to accommodate the two inpatients, Gareki offered his services to the hospital, free of charge. Tsukumo also offered any assistance she could give. They tried to figure out the best way to explain it, but finally told the doctors and nurses that Tohru was anemic, and if the hospital could spare the extra blood packets for him once every twenty four hours, they knew how to administer it.

"_Technically, I'm feeding him in your stead, but not with my own blood, Natsuno. Hopefully that's acceptable,_" Gareki thought with a chuckle.

Yogi was the first to awaken. Groggy and sore, he looked around to find himself in a sterilized white room. In a moment of panic, he sat up and blinked, calming down somewhat once his violet eyes finally blinked into focus, and he realized he wasn't at the Research Tower. "_But then, where am I?_" he wondered. He jerked when the door swung open.

"YOGI! You're awake," Nai's voice exclaimed happily as the albino darted into the room and up to the bed.

"Oi," Gareki's voice followed after him, "Nai, I told you not to run inside the hospital." The dark-haired teenager sighed. "Why are you guys so exasperating?"

"Nai-Chan! Gareki-Kun," Yogi exclaimed, happily hugging the little Niji-Half-Breed, but keeping his eyes fixed on the young combat physician.

Gareki smiled and walked over to the bed. "I guess I didn't do too bad of a job patching you up," he said, pushing back the 'lame' sounding '_Good morning Sunshine_' greeting that was ringing in his head and trying to make its way out of his mouth. He gingerly wrapped his fingers around the bed's guard rail and looked the blonde in the eyes. "Does everything feel alright, Yogi? You're not experiencing pain anywhere are you?"

Yogi smiled and shook his head. "No, I feel alright," he assured him. "Did I hear that right? You've been treating me this whole time?"

"Well, I couldn't let one of the doctors around here do it, our bodies heal different from theirs thanks to our Incure cells," Gareki said, gently ruffling his hair through Yogi's bedraggled hair. "_Besides, nobody here is going to understand your condition like I do,_" he thought.

Yogi smiled, closed his eyes, and let out a soft, involuntary sigh of comfort that almost sounded like a purr at the feeling of Gareki's fingers running through his hair. He blushed and snapped his eyes open when he realized what it had sounded like; or was it because Gareki had realized what it sounded like and removed his hand? "Thank you, Gareki-Kun," Yogi said, looking away. "How's Natsuno doing?"

"He still hasn't woke up, but Tohru is remaining as vigilant at his side as he can be during the nights," Gareki answered. "It's been a week since Tsukumo-Chan and I brought the two of you here. I've stopped all transfusions, his blood count is normal. We're just waiting for him to wake up."

"I hope it's soon," Yogi said, clenching the edge of his blanket. "I know Tohru-Chan's sick with worry over him."

Gareki sighed and nodded. "Speaking of those two, it's about time I go check on them as well. If you need anything, let Nai know, alright? He can go get it for you; and when you get better, you and I have a long talk ahead of us." Yogi quietly nodded. Gareki looked at Nai. "Nai, I'll be right across the hall with Natsuno and Tohru. If anything happens, come get me, alright?" Nai nodded, with a smile, he was willing to do whatever he could to help out.

Yogi closed his eyes as Gareki left the room. "_They're all safe,_" he thought to himself, "_Oh thank goodness. Silver, I'm so glad you didn't hurt any of them._"

It was still a couple of days yet, before Natsuno woke up. His vision was blurry and his breathing still a bit labored. He pushed himself up and looked around the room. His reaction was nowhere near as panicked as Yogi's had been. For starters, Natsuno had no fear of hospitals and doctors, for another, his rational senses had already alerted him to the fact that he was no longer inside the cave before he opened his eyes. "_I guess Tsukumo found one after all,_" he mused.

"Good morning Sunshine," Gareki teased. It would have sounded lame and sappy if he'd used it for Yogi, and the blonde would have taken it to heart. With Natsuno however, he was able to use it ironically.

"Pft, sod off," Natsuno answered indignantly, rolling away from Gareki. "It's not even morning. It's late afternoon! … How long have I been asleep?"

"Before or after my transfusion at the cave?" Gareki asked.

"After," Natsuno replied, rolling back to face him and pushing himself to a sitting positon.

"Nearly ten days," Gareki informed him.

"Ten whole days!?" Natsuno exclaimed. "Geeze, no wonder I feel like crap. What's a guy gotta' do to get some food in here?"

"I'll get right on that," Gareki chuckled, "Though I warn you, it's hospital food."

"Whatever, just get me something, I feel like I could eat an entire cow," Natsuno groaned.

"I'll see what I can do about that," Gareki promised.

"Thanks," Natsuno said, once he finished the meal Gareki brought him. He shifted his eyes to Tohru who was curled up asleep on the visitor's couch just beneath the window, where the shades were pulled shut. "What did you tell them?" he asked motioning his head towards the sleeping Shiki.

"That he was anemic, he was a relative of yours, and that he's photosensitive. I know what you said about feeding him in your stead, but considering he couldn't necessarily sneak out of here to go hunt in the forest, I figured you wouldn't object to my supplying him with some medical blood packs while we were here," Gareki explained. "One of the nurses nearly got the back of my hand, however. As a nurse or a doctor, you're supposed to be respective and sympathetic towards people with problems. She had passed by your room one night on my way out after checking on you, and she saw his eyes. She asked me how you could possibly sleep comfortably with those eyes upon you; stating that even if she were in your condition, she'd have trouble staying unconscious with such creepy, soulless eyes watching her. Pissed me right the hell off."

Natsuno sighed and shook his head, his eyes never once shifting off of Tohru. "They didn't always look like that," he said. "When he was human, they were a gorgeous shade of brown. Between his hair and eyes, he was like a human sunflower; kind of like Yogi."

"A human sunflower? Geeze, Natsuno, that's corny," Gareki scoffed.

"Who are you kidding? The way you greeted me when I woke up? THAT was corny," Natsuno laughed.

"_It would have been worse if I had used it on it's originally intended recipient,_" Gareki thought.

"So, how is everyone else holding up?" Natsuno inquired.

"Tsukumo-Chan and I are fine. Nai's bruises are all long past healed, and Yogi's been awake for two days now, but I haven't deemed him stable enough to be released yet," Gareki replied.

"What happened to Nai?" Natsuno asked.

"He took a blow to the chest, from the foot of a certain green-haired fellow with dog-eared shaped hair," Gareki sighed, "Thankfully all he suffered was bruises. Yogi nearly killed the bastard, but he got away."

"That's too bad," Natsuno said.

"However, the townsfolk have told us that there is a barrier around the town, which prevents anyone or anything with 'evil' intent from entering the village. As a matter of fact, it hides the whole damned town from view of anyone who would do harm. So, if you ever had any doubts about the intentions of your little pet over there, the fact that he's able to be here with you should dissolve everyone of them," Gareki stated, "As soon as the two of you are well enough to leave the hospital, we're heading out to take down that Varuga, and the two other Okiagari if we run into them along the way, in hopes that we can return home."

"What if we don't want to go back?" Natsuno asked.

"Huh?" Gareki flinched at the question.

"There's no point in us returning home. Whether or not the Shiki have over run Sotoba by now, I have no way of knowing, but there's nothing left for either of us there. Tohru's family has already buried him and said their goodbyes, there's nothing to ensure that even if the Shiki think he carried out what they sent him to do that they haven't attacked them as well by now. My own parents had let one into my room, so that she could gain an invitation of entrance for Tohru. By now, she's probably turned or killed them, too. The way their minds work, they wouldn't handle the former option very well, so forgive me for saying I hope for their sake it's the later. He and I are all either of us really have left," Natsuno sighed, keeping his eyes on Tohru as he spoke.

"Well, I don't want to tell you your business," Gareki sighed, "I'd hate to leave you both in a world neither of you know anything about, but even if you're not with us, if this thing IS what caused the rift in dimensions, then you may not have a choice in where you go when we destroy it."

"All I said is it's pointless for us to go back to somewhere that won't welcome either of us back with open arms," Natsuno said, "Wherever that thing sends us after you destroy it, we'll find a way to make due. Besides, I thought you guys already got rid of that thing?"

Gareki shook his head, "So did we, but that's why that Okiagari got away, we heard the bell again and Yogi got distracted. He only destroyed the shell, he didn't destroy the real body."

"So you've got to find a way to stop it at the source?" Natsuno observed. Gareki smiled and nodded his affirmation. Natsuno was a quick study. Gareki almost wished the pair could return with the rest of them.

Tohru let off a soft murmur in his sleep, signifying the oncoming of nightfall. "Honestly, you could set your watch by this guy," Gareki smirked. "I think I'll give you two some privacy." Gareki lightly poked the side of Natsuno's head. "Whatever you do, DON'T let him bite you, yet. You'll undo everything I've done up to this point." He crossed his arms as Natsuno swatted him away.

"Alright, alright, I get it!" Natsuno scoffed. "You don't have to worry about us anymore. … But, thank you."

"Don't thank me just yet," Gareki said as he turned to leave the room. "You haven't seen my bill yet," he teased.

"Go ahead and bill me," Natsuno quipped, "You know I won't pay it." Gareki laughed as he closed the door.

Tohru rolled over, as the last lights of day retreated from the horizon, and opened his eyes. He froze, a gasp catching in his throat. "N-n~Natsuno…?" he whispered. "Natsuno!" Throwing caution to the wind, he leapt onto the bed and threw his arms around the boy, quietly sobbing. "Oh, thank goodness, you're alright." Tohru blushed as he felt Natsuno's arms gently wrap around him, and a hand gently rake through his hair.

"I'm fine, Tohru-Chan," Natsuno said softly, a quiet smile and light blush on his own face as he held the trembling Shiki.

"Natsuno, I'm so sorry, I should have been there to protect you from her. I've done you a wrong I can never undo," Tohru whimpered.

"Tohru… You've done nothing wrong," Natsuno assured him. "You're going to try to turn me eventually, aren't you?"

"Eh…?" Tohru pulled back and looked Natsuno in the eyes. While Natsuno's eyes were firm and serious, his own were confused and hurt at the allegation. "N-Natsuno? Why would you even think…?"

"Don't insult my intelligence by trying to deny it, Tohru," Natsuno insisted, crossing his arms. "You're afraid of being alone. If you don't attempt to change me, that's an inevitability."

"Ok, I admit, the thought has crossed my mind," Tohru sighed, "But I've rejected it every time. This isn't a fate I want to force on you, Natsuno. I never wanted to hurt you in the first place."

Natsuno gently placed his hands over top of Tohru's. "Tohru-Chan, I'm not mad at you," Natsuno promised him, with a quiet smile. Tohru blushed, it was unusual to see Natsuno actually smile like that, a real smile, not a fake one given to placate the public masses. The timid Shiki cautiously reached up and put a hand to Natsuno's cheek, half expecting to be pushed away. Natsuno closed his eyes and gently caught the trembling cold hand that caressed his face. He made no motions to move it away. He sighed as his thumb gently rolled over the back of Tohru's hand in a soft massaging pattern. "Tohru," he slowly opened his eyes. "I want you to know, I heard everything you said in the cave the night she bit me. I'm sorry, I couldn't protect you from her anymore than you could; but I had no idea I was your reason for coming back. …And, I feel like an idiot not realizing there wasn't anything between you and Ritsuko-San."

"Well, I mean, Ritsu-Chan and I did love each other as really good friends," Tohru admitted with a blush, pulling his hand back, and looking toward the floor. "But…" He began tapping his fingertips together. "There was never any physical attraction between us." He nervously shot his eyes back toward Natsuno, while keeping his head turned away.

"You're kidding, right?" Natsuno asked, having understood the message Tohru was trying to convey. Tohru blushed and shifted his eyes away again. "You mean you've never?"

"Nope," Tohru answered with a nervous chuckle, looking back toward Natsuno, rubbing the back of his head. "Eighteen years old, flirt of the town, friend to everyone, thought to be in a relationship with a nurse that works at the same clinic as my father, and I've never even kissed, let alone go all the way. It was a small town, people talk, what could I do other than stay chaste?"

"So many things make so much more sense now… Little things I took for granted, or simply thought you were teasing me about. I guess I was wrong when I accused you of fake displays of physical affection." Natsuno glanced away for a moment, as his mind turned to memories of himself an Tohru, starting from the day Tohru had patched his bicycle tire, the day they went to the fountain together, the ride in the car with Ritsuko, and the sleepovers. Once again, a smile swept across his face.

"You really should smile more, Natsuno," Tohru said, quietly, gently reaching up and cupping a hand to the purple haired teen's cheek and slowly turning his gaze back to him. Tohru smiled, as he gazed into Natsuno's dark purple eyes.

"Tohru-Chan?" Natsuno asked, allowing the Shiki to hold his gaze, "Why me?"

"Eh?" Tohru blinked, loosing what had suddenly become a staring contest between them. "What do you mean 'why you'?"

Natsuno closed his eyes and gave a sigh. He smiled and gently caught hold of Tohru's hand again. "Why me? If you've known for so long, it's not like there weren't other guys in the village."

Tohru blinked, trying to process Natsuno's intentions for such a question. No matter which way Tohru looked at it, Natsuno only seemed curious. "There were several reasons," he shyly glanced back at the floor, "I admit, just like Shimizu, I took notice because you were new; not because you were from the city-that's her shallow way of thinking, but because you were new. It's a small town, Natsuno, whether they admit it or realize it or not, unless they marry someone from outside, everybody's related to everybody in one fashion or another. That was an idea I was never too keen on. But then I got the chance to talk to you and actually see you up close, rather than across the way at school. Even if it was just for the short time it took me to repair your bike, I realized then I wanted to get to know you better. I didn't expect to actually see you come back, but I was glad when you did, that second time around. By then I had done some snooping around, helped your parents out with some things in town, and found out your name. I had already realized how handsome you were," Tohru blushed as he began down this latest path of confessions, but continued, ignoring the blush that was on Natsuno's face as well, "As I got to know you, I realized how smart you were. That first time you fell asleep on my bed, I realized just how cute, even beautiful I actually thought you were. But I didn't care one way or another if you ever thought the same for me…" Tohru glanced back up to Natsuno. "I kept trying to be your friend, no matter how much you protested, because I could see it in those beautiful purple eyes of yours just how lonely you really were, yet so afraid to let someone in because you didn't want to get hurt." Tohru watched the look on Natsuno's face as the purple haired boy fell breathlessly quiet, his face flushed a glowing shade of pink from hearing such a confession. "And after trying so hard to prove otherwise, I ended up hurting you anyway, and I'm sorry for that," he whispered, looking back at the floor. "But you could complain all you liked, I could tell that you secretly enjoyed my company, and Ritsu-Chan even told me about that day you two walked together and talked. She said she felt awkward standing next to you, when the elders began to whisper as to whether or not she was dating you or me. She said you told her you simply didn't care for how they gossip, but she thought she noticed a twinge of jealousy on your face at the time."

Natsuno reached out and grabbed Tohru's collar, yanking the blonde Shiki close. Before Tohru had time to react or realize what was happening, he found himself pulled firmly into a rather passionate kiss with Natsuno. Tohru blinked, blushed, and closed his eyes as he returned the kiss. Natsuno held him there for as long as he could, while Tohru didn't need to breath, it was still a required function for him, which he reluctantly had to concede to, forcing him to pull away, gasping for air. He caught Tohru by the hair on the back of his head and ran his fingers through the mess of blonde curls. "You talk to much," he said with a smile. "Tohru, I tried so hard not to let anyone get close, because I had every intention of leaving Sotoba. But you refused to accept it. I came to trust you. I was afraid to admit it, but I realized I was starting to care about you, and yes, I did enjoy your company, regardless of how I acted. I tried to leave after your funeral, but couldn't," Natsuno hung his head, "But I had tried to leave that last day I stayed at your house, too."

"You did? When?" Tohru asked curiously.

"Just moments before you found me that afternoon, when I asked if I could stay over," Natsuno admitted, clenching his sheets. "I tried to leave, I ran as far as I could, then rode the bus. I started to nod off, but thought I heard someone call my name." He glanced back up at Tohru, "I looked up and at the front of the bus, I thought I had seen Shimizu. I stood and stared, but she was gone, and I reminded myself it couldn't be her, she was dead. I thought I was simply seeing things due to lack of sleep, which that in itself was her fault for spying on me, making me feel like I was being watched, when I knew she was supposed to be gone. Combine that with what Masao said about her clawing her way out of the grave to come after me, and naturally, I assumed that was just where my mind wandered in order to create a hallucination. It was at that moment, I decided not to leave. After such a shake up, there was only one person I wanted to see, only one person I knew could make me feel safe. I was thankful when I heard you call out to me, but too distraught to react. I instantly felt a wall of comfort come over me when you put your hand on my shoulder…"

"Oh, Natsuno…?" Tohru sighed, gently wrapping his arms around him, and running a comforting hand through his silken purple locks. "Why didn't you tell me that was what was bothering you that day?"

"I didn't know how. It sounded ridiculous. I was actually worried you'd poke fun at me, and laugh it off as a nightmare or paranoia," Natsuno quietly admitted.

Tohru blinked, his arms stiff at his side, his hands clenching the edges of the white sheets. "You're fifteen and you were seeing visions of a dead classmate-who stalked you every chance she got-after the resident freaky kid told you she might climb out of the grave and come after you!" he stated bluntly. "Natsuno, I wouldn't have laughed that off! Yes, I might have told you 'Maybe you're being paranoid or dreaming', but I wouldn't have laughed at you. I would have tried to comfort you, tried to help you. Hell, I would have let you stay on my bed and took the floor myself if I had known."

Natsuno sighed, "I can't help wondering, Tohru… If I had told you, and instead of either of us using the pallet on the floor, simply asked you to share the bed and comfort me. Just lie next to me and hold me. If I had asked that, would we still be in the fix we're in now? Or would they have left you alone that night?"

"Natsuno…" Tohru slid further up the side of the bed, settling in next to Natsuno, gently wrapping his arms around the now trembling teenager. "Don't think like that," he said softly, as he swept stray strands of purple hair from his face and gently wiped away the renegade tear that escaped those purple eyes. "I told you before, I don't blame you for what they did to me."

"Tohru-Chan…" Natsuno wrapped his arms around the blonde Shiki. He closed his eyes, and buried his tear-soaked face into Tohru's burgundy colored shirt. "I tried to get out of that town so many times, but I couldn't leave you behind. I thought I'd lost everything when we buried you. I don't blame you for anything that's happened, either, I just want you to know that." Natsuno shuddered slightly when he felt the fingers on Tohru's left hand stroking his hair, while the Shiki's right hand gently rubbed up and down his back. This was an emotional break down that Natsuno had been fighting back for a long time now. Having his own mortality stare him in the face after Megumi's attack, only to wake up to this heart-felt, yet much needed conversation with Tohru was simply the final straw to push him into it. Even he had his occassional moments of weakness, he was human, after all. "I love you, Tohru-Chan. Please, don't ever leave me again."

"Shh… Sh…" Tohru gently shushed him. "Come on, Natsuno, please don't cry." He hugged Natsuno as tight as he could without causing the boy any discomfort. He gently nuzzled Natsuno's head and hair with his face. "It's alright, I'm not going anywhere. I promise, I'll always stay by your side. I love you, too."


	26. 26 - Confessions 2

_**Chapter 26: Confessions 2**_

Gareki rushed into Yogi's room, having heard a commotion. "What's going on in here?" he huffed. Standing by Yogi's bed was the same nurse that Gareki had told Natsuno about. Gareki narrowed his eyes at her. "What are you doing in here? Didn't I give express orders no one was to enter these two rooms without me?"

"I'm sorry, it's just that it's time for his check up and medication, but you were busy. I thought I could at least start without you, and we could finish when you got here, but he won't let me anywhere near him."

Yogi had moved as far away from her as the bed would possibly let him, curled into a ball at the far corner of the head of the bed, his entire body tensed and bristled like a startled cat. Gareki sighed. "For Pete's sake, Yogi, try to have some dignity, would you?" He walked up and snatched the shot syringe from the nurses hand. "I'm sorry, I know you mean well, but I had my reasons for making such requests. I can handle this on my own, thank you." The nurse nodded, gave a quiet apology, then turned to run out the door. Gareki sighed as the door swung shut. He sat down the syringe where it wouldn't be at risk of contamination and took off the white clinic coat, tossing it aside on the visitor's couch. He then turned his attention to the frightened patient. "Yogi…"

Yogi blinked and shook his head, instantly becoming calm. "Gareki-Kun," he replied quietly as he uncoiled himself and moved closer to the other side of the bed.

Gareki sighed and shook his head. "Honestly, Yogi, she was just trying to help."

"I know, I over reacted, I realize that," he admitted timidly.

"Hey, calm down, I'm not scolding you. I understand," Gareki assured him as he sat on the edge of the bed and stroked a hand through Yogi's bedraggled sunny golden locks. "But she's right, it is time for your check up and medication."

Yogi nodded. "As long as it's you, Gareki-Kun, I won't put up a struggle. I'm scared to death of doctors and hospitals, especially Akari-Sensei; him most of all, but even so, I'd rather know he's the one treating me, rather than some stranger. But… I trust you completely, Gareki-Kun."

Gareki smiled and stood up off the bed, catching Yogi by the wrist. He gently pulled Yogi up onto his feet. "C'mon, let's get this over with, shall we?" Yogi gave a quiet smile and nodded. Gareki gave Yogi an entire physical examination, testing his reflexes, listening to his heart and lungs; the usual routine. Yogi didn't seem to be experiencing pain, dizziness, over or under sensitivity to light. The allergy patch on his cheek was as fresh as they could afford it to be with their supply. All cuts and bruises from his fight with Tatsumi had healed long before he woke up. Yogi's cream-colored skin was pristine and unblemished in any fashion. "I'd say you've got a clean bill of health. Still, just to be safe. I think you should take the medicine today, and let me run an x-ray or a CAT scan."

"Awe, do I have to take the shot?" Yogi protested, slumping back on the bed. "I won't object to the scan, but Gareki…"

"Don't start whining now," Gareki scolded, sitting back on the bed beside him. "It's just a simple precaution."

Yogi closed his eyes and nodded. He had promised to trust Gareki's judgment and not fight him, after all. "Alright, if you think it's best."

"By the way," Gareki said, putting a hand on Yogi's shoulder, "Natsuno woke up last night. I give him another day or two and we'll be out of here."

Gareki smiled as Yogi's violet eyes lit up at the news. "Really! That's great! Tohru-Chan must be so relieved. I'm glad he's alright."

Gareki gave a quiet chuckle. "Tohru's more than relieved," he stated, "They've certainly patched things up between them. … I think they shared their first kiss last night."

"Awe, that's so sweet," Yogi said with a smile. Gareki rolled his eyes, of course Yogi would react like that. Yogi shifted uncomfortably, as the current topic reminded him of the conversation he was attempting to have with Gareki earlier. "Ne, Gareki-Kun?"

Gareki flinched, just by the tone of Yogi's voice, he knew where the conversation was about to turn. He gave a quiet sigh and closed his eyes. "_After what I told his Silver Haired personality, I guess there's really no back peddling… I guess now's as good a time as any,_" he thought. He slowly opened his eyes, mentally attempting to prepare himself for whatever came next. "Yeah, Yogi, what's on your mind?"

"What you said, before the Varuga attacked us… That, there was nothing to be said…" Yogi started. Gareki closed his eyes and mentally scolded himself. "What did you mean by that?"

"I was afraid of that; you took it the wrong way, didn't you?" Gareki sighed.

"Eh?" Yogi blinked and shifted his eyes toward the dark-haired teen.

"You were stammering and tripping over what you wanted to say," Gareki pointed, "I was trying to spare you a little dignity. You and Tohru both, you shower Natsuno and me with affection that neither of you thinks we notice. … But we do notice. When I said there was nothing to say, I only meant that you didn't have to say anything." He gently placed a hand on Yogi's shoulder and smiled at him. "I already know."

Yogi blushed a bright red and shifted his soft violet eyes towards Gareki. "Gareki-Kun?" he blinked as he shyly murmured the teenager's name.

"I wasn't sure at first," Gareki admitted, "I tried to convince myself that you were simply like that with anyone who would pay you attention. You've spent so much time with Circus, I thought you were just starved for it. But, I began to notice, you were like that toward me, more than the others; even more so after I won that bracelet you keep on your arm." Gareki pointed at said bracelet, bringing to Yogi's attention for the first time that the purple strip of leather was still around his arm.

"My bracelet…" he held up his arm to look at it. He still holding up his arm, he looked back up at Gareki, "You didn't take it off?"

"Only long enough to run tests, then I put it back on after you were admitted to the room," Gareki explained. "You really didn't notice it was there?"

"I'M IN A HOSPITAL ROOM!" Yogi answered sternly. "All I notice are the maddeningly white walls, sheets, and coats. Even when I close my eyes, all I see is the color white. The only color worse is pitch black. To be honest, I only take the bracelet off to bathe, so I've gotten so use to it being there, I probably wouldn't have ever noticed if you hadn't said something."

"I thought maybe leaving it with you when none of us where in the room with you would give you a bit of comfort; I know Akari-Sensei doesn't let you keep it," Gareki sighed, "But this isn't the Research Tower, and your surroundings are even more unfamiliar than usual."

"Familiar enough," Yogi scoffed, realizing he had nowhere to look away from Gareki in order to avoid the color; everything was white. Just as Megumi had caused Natsuno to hate the color pink, Yogi's sordid past with clinics and labs had subconsciously done the same to him with pitch dark rooms and bright white. Gareki had seen his aversion to both on numerous occasions.

Gareki sighed and gently wrapped his arms around the blonde. "Relax, alright?" he said, as softly as he could. "No one's gonna' hurt you here."

Yogi blushed and gently nuzzled his face into Gareki's shoulder, his silken blonde curls tickling at Gareki's neck. "It's pathetic, right? I'm the older one, I'm supposed to be the one in charge, and yet, I find myself turning to everyone else for guidance, for reassurance."

"STOP THAT!" Gareki scolded, "You're starting to sound like Kiichi!" Gareki sighed and caught Yogi's chin, forcing those beautiful violet orbs to turn upward, so he was all they could see. "You want someone to point out your flaws? You're childish, obnoxiously hyper, over sensitive and extremely emotional. You're clumsy, and you jump to conclusions too quickly. But to counter all that, you're extremely caring, remarkably strong physically, and very strong willed. You see the good in people that they fail to even see in themselves, and you're always there to find a way to make people smile. You know who's dear to you and stop at nothing to keep them protected." Gareki's face turned redder and redder with each good point he mentioned. "_I've turned down the road to sappy, and there's no turning back,_" he thought to himself, as he watched Yogi's eyes grow wider and wider, and his smile brighter and brighter with each word. "But all of these things, good or bad, are what make you who you are, Yogi." He smiled as he mentally added the statement, "_It's actually all rather endearing._"

"Gareki-Kun…" Yogi beamed, wiping away the tears with the back of his hand, "I never realized you noticed so much about me. After you told me I was just someone you know from Circus…"

Gareki sighed. "It was a defense mechanism," he reluctantly admitted. "Yogi, I've already lost most of the people who meant anything in my life. I was afraid of letting anyone else get close. Nai was a special exception, one look at that dumb animal's eyes, and you can't help but fall in love with him. You on the other hand, constantly tugging at my side, trying to tag along everywhere, always looking at me like you were afraid I would simply disappear from existence completely, the first and only person to see me at my weakest... Those eyes of yours are for a lack of a better term, gorgeous, but they always seem so lonely when they're not looking directly at me. It was annoying at first, but during my time at Kuronomei, I began to realize how much I missed it."

Yogi gave a wry smile and pushed himself up on all fours, shoving his face into Gareki's, keeping just enough distance that they didn't touch. "Is that why my Nyanperowna plushy came back smelling like you'd slept with it every night?"

"Idiot!" Gareki scoffed, pushing Yogi back, and turning even redder, "Don't ask questions you already know the answer to."

"So, then when you didn't answer my text messages…?" Yogi started.

"I was afraid I'd get distracted. Nai and Tsukumo sent short, simple messages that I could read and reply to once a day without worrying about getting lost in the conversation. Your messages were like daily journals, long and strung out, full of pictures. I'm hesitant to admit I heard them in your voice when I read them, it was as if you were sitting right next to me. I knew if I replied to one, you would reply back, and somewhere along the way, we'd get into an argument over something, and I'd become completely distracted from my studies," Gareki stated.

"But you actually did read them?" Yogi asked.

"Every night, after my roommate went to sleep," Gareki nodded. "Were you that lonely without me on the ship?"

Yogi blushed and nodded. "Like you said, don't ask questions you already know the answer to." He closed his eyes and turned his head away, "I was always worried someone else would snatch you up, and you'd never return to the Second Ship."

Gareki gave a soft chuckle and rubbed a hand through Yogi's hair. After hearing what had happened to Yogi's sister, he not only understood, but empathized with the blonde's fear of loosing someone close, no matter the means. "I'm sorry I left you for so long, but I knew I had to find a way to become a member of Circus, or I'd eventually be forced to leave the Second Ship completely. I had nothing left for me in Karasuna. I wanted to be able to stand at your side and confidently give you the back up you and Tsukumo needed, rather than always feel like I was being shielded by you." Gareki glanced away, and closed his eyes. He sighed. It was now or never. "Yogi, you know how you kept asking me who's the crush?"

Yogi blinked and nodded. "Y-yeah…?" The blonde suddenly fell breathless.

Gareki turned and faced Yogi once more, a smile across his face. Once more, he caught Yogi by the chin and held him in place as he leaned closer to the blonde. "You really shouldn't… ask questions you already know the answer to." He leaned forward and pushed his lips to Yogi's.

Yogi's entire face turned red, almost glowing like a Christmas tree. His violet eyes blinked; once, twice, and stayed closed the third time, as he leaned into the kiss, returning it with every ounce of fervor. If either of them had to describe the other from that kiss alone, Yogi would have said Gareki's scent and taste was every bit as bitter sweet as his personality, like melting confectioner's chocolate. Likewise, Gareki would have said Yogi was as sugary sweet as the candy he hands out dressed as Nyanperowna during Circus parades.

Slowly, they broke away from their kiss, each almost breathless from the experience. It had been a first for both of them. Gareki had, unfortunately, been no stranger to strange bedfellows before being sold to the slave ship, or even sometimes between leaving Tsubame and Yotaka and meeting Nai. But this was his first kiss, and Yogi was definitely…different, special. Anything more than a kiss would have to be equally special, someplace they both felt safe.

Yogi had spent the last fourteen years of his life with Circus; seeing Hirato, Tsukitachi, and Jiki as brothers, and Iva, Tsukumo, and Kiichi as sisters. If not for his fear of Akari, he might have seen the pink-haired doctor as something of a father-figure. They were all like family to him for as long as he could remember. Gareki was his first real friend, his first love, his first kiss. Yogi slowly raised his arm, and closed his eyes. "I promised I wouldn't fight you, Gareki. If you still think I need to take that medicine, then I think I'm ready for it."

Gareki reached over and picked up the syringe. Yogi flinched as Gareki's hand caught hold of his arm. The blonde was bracing himself for what he knew was about to come. Gareki sighed and shook his head. Yogi was still frightened, regardless.

Yogi blushed as he felt Gareki's arm gently wrap around him. Gareki pulled the blonde prince close, letting him rest his head on his chest. Yogi blinked his eyes open, as he found himself listening to the gentle sound of Gareki's heartbeat. Gareki smiled and smoothed his free hand through Yogi's curls. "Relax, Yogi. Just close your eyes and take a deep breath," he said quietly, "Think of it as a bee sting, it'll all be over quickly." Yogi closed his eyes and gave a quiet nod, taking in Gareki's scent, he was already trembling much less. "_It's alright, Yogi, as long as we're together, neither of us have to be lonely any more,_" he thought.

Yogi gave a soft gasp as the needle went into his arm, his free hand clenched tight onto Gareki's shirt, but he otherwise made no movement to get away or squirm. He didn't flinch or cry. The syringe was removed from Yogi's arm and a bandage was placed over it to prevent bleeding or infection. Yogi gently wrapped his arms around the young combat physician. "If you give all your patients this kind of bedside manner, I might get jealous, Gareki-Kun," he teased.

Gareki smiled and returned the embrace, stroking a hand through Yogi's hair. "No, only you," he assured him. "I want you to always feel you can trust me, Yogi." He tilted the blonde's head upward and leaned in for a second kiss, this one was fleeting in comparison to the first, but still just as passionate. Gareki smiled and spoke the words he never thought he'd hear himself utter to anyone. "I love you, Yogi."


	27. 27 - Planning

_**Author's Note:**_ Well, now that all that is out of the way, I can come in and give another Author's Note. I skipped on the last ones, because I wanted the Chapters to speak for themselves; to see if I could carry the emotional weight I was looking for. Anime-Frekkk confirmed that via IM's. I'm so glad you enjoyed Chapter 25, it means I'm doing something right. By the way, I still have to get back to "Another Way Part 3" in my A/U Shikiverse, once this story is done. I've given nssix6 permission to write a story within that universe, which I will definitely point people in the direction to locate once it is up and running. However, I also had one other A/U story I was considering, for a few days now and I don't know why. Would anyone be interested in a (possibly M rated A/U) GareYogi story where Gareki's a pirate and Yogi still Prince of Rimhakka? Anyway, let's not get side tracked here, right? We've still got a way to go to get everyone home safe.

_**Chapter 27: Planning**_

As Gareki had suspected, Yogi and Natsuno both came back with clean health on their final scans and tests. He gave Natsuno a couple days to regain his strength before they left the hospital. During their final day, as they waited for night, when Tohru would wake up, Natsuno was invited to join the Children of Circus as they tried to plan their next best move.

"So, what we do know," Tsukumo said, "Is that the Varuga's host body is a clock. It may or may not also be the source of the rift in time and space that brought us here."

"We also know that the remainder of the body is a thick substance impenetrable by bullets. Yogi's vines also did no damage. Ripping it apart from the inside out only destroyed that substance," Gareki pointed.

"Everything has to have a weakness," Natsuno offered, "The biggest problem is finding it."

"That's one problem," Yogi said, "But there's another one. IF this thing really did bring us all here, none of us were dropped off in the same spot." Everyone fell silent as Yogi had one of his rare moments, reminding them all he was definitely smarter than he let on. "The only ones who did arrive in the same place were Tsukumo-Chan and Nai-Chan, and Natsuno and Tohru-Chan. Gareki and I were both much further away from everyone else, but it seems like the cave we were staying in is some sort of center point to where we all ended up. Tsukumo-Chan, you were holding on to Nai when we were transported, weren't you?"

Tsukumo nodded, "I had pulled him away from the computer just before it blew up."

"Natsuno, what about you and Tohru?" Gareki asked.

Natsuno sighed and glanced back down the hallway. "The last thing I remembered, Tohru was on top of me in a hunger frenzy. He had drank until I fell unconscious. When I woke up, I was alone in the cave. I tried to leave, to find out where I was, or where he was one, and collapsed at the entrance. I woke up again to find this one," he pointed a thumb over his shoulder in Yogi's direction, "had drug me back inside and built a fire. So, yeah, I suppose you could say Tohru-Chan was holding on to me when we got here."

"But, we have no way of knowing how close to one another the other two Okiagari were when they arrived," Tsukumo stated.

"It's not like Shimizu's exactly the sort of girl who will let just anyone hold on to her," Natsuno scoffed. "Little Miss Priss would slap someone's hand away if she so much thought they were going to leave a fingerprint on one of her gaudy pink outfits." The others shrank back a bit, they could hear the venom of hatred dripping from Natsuno's every word. "If anything," his voice returned to normal, "I can picture her over hearing the conversation between me and Tohru and when I offered him my blood, she began ringing Tatsumi's neck in a fit of jealousy because she wasn't sure what else to do with herself."

Yogi put a thumb to his lips and lightly bit on the tip, trying not to laugh. He and Gareki gave each other a silent glance, with a quiet smile, as both of them found themselves thinking the same thing, "_I'd LOVE to see him meet Kiichi!_"

"So, what you're saying is that if we all want to go to the same place after the Varuga is destroyed, we have to all hold on to each other?" Nai asked.

"That appears to be the case, Nai-Chan," Yogi nodded, "And since you already seem to have some ability to control this sort of thing, your presence at the explosion may have also been part of the catalyst that brought us here."

Gareki and Natsuno looked at each other. "Did he just say 'catalyst'?" Natsuno asked.

"Surprising isn't it?" Gareki teased.

"Not that he knows the word, but that he understands what it means," Natsuno returned.

Yogi blushed. "You two can be so mean sometimes," the blonde objected, turning to face them.

Natsuno and Gareki both stifled a laugh. "Relax, Yogi," Gareki assured him, catching him by the wrist and pulling him in close. "We're only teasing." Yogi blushed as Gareki's lips gently pressed against his forehead.

"Nuh-Uh," Yogi said, jokingly, "It's gonna' take more than that for me to forgive yo…!" Gareki cut him off by locking lips with him. Yogi practically melted, wrapping his arms around Gareki's neck and returning the kiss.

Natsuno rolled his eyes and glanced away to allow the two of them some semblance of privacy. Tsukumo covered her face with her hands to hide a blush as she quietly peeked out between her fingers. Nai was the one who broke the mood, his human-child-half overriding his animal-half for once. "Ew!" he said as he looked away, his own face a light shade of pink.

"Ok, you're forgiven," Yogi said as they pulled away from the kiss, his head reeling from the unexpected event.

"Well, that was easy," Gareki chuckled, crossing his arms and glancing over his shoulder at Natsuno, who had a noticeable smirk on his face.

Natsuno took notice of the time. "Speaking of loveable idiots, I'd better get back to Tohru before he wakes up and thinks we ran out on him."

The nurse from earlier came flying out of Natsuno's room, she and Tohru both giving out a startled shriek. Natsuno ran down the hall, toward the nurse. "What's going on?" he exclaimed. For a moment, Natsuno feared the worse, that Tohru had woken in an unexpected hunger frenzy. The nurse had slammed and locked the door behind her before throwing herself against the wall to catch her breath.

She looked up at Natsuno, gasping for air. "Dr. Tetsuo said you were all leaving tonight and that I should clean the rooms. I didn't realize he was still in there," she said. "Not until I opened the blinds."

_ The blinds!?_ The sun hadn't fully set yet. "Tohru? Tohru-Chan, can you hear me!?" Natsuno called. He turned and looked at the nurse. "Did you leave them open when you ran out?"

She shook her head. "No, I closed them back, remembering your young physician said the boy was photosensitive. But the light had disturbed and woke him. He startled me."

Natsuno sighed, Tohru at least wasn't in any immediate danger. Even if she had left them open, the sun was low enough for him to stir in his sleep and wake up, but he wouldn't be fully awake until the final light of day had retreated. This nurse didn't really mean any harm; she just didn't understand how this group of kids worked. _What could have possibly made Tohru…?_ Then he saw it. Dangling around her neck, this world's version of a cross. "A religious symbol?" Natsuno suddenly felt very agitated with her. Sure she didn't know any better, but she'd just scared him half to death. "Tell me, if this town is shrouded by a shield that keeps out those who mean harm, why in the holy hell do you guys need religious symbols?"

She glared at him for speaking such words. "You should be ashamed of yourself for using such blasphemy, no wonder that creature…"

"You can stop right there!" Natsuno informed her, keeping his hands tucked in his pocket to prevent himself from slapping her. "If I offended you, I will apologize, it's not like me to do so, but I will. My parents raised me to believe that religion is nothing but a bunch of superstitious nonsense. Even after everything I've seen over the last few months, it's still a bit difficult to fully wrap my head around the possibility that they were wrong." He turned his head toward the door of the room. "But I won't stand idly by and let you talk about Tohru-Chan, when you know nothing about him."

The nurse sighed. "Evil cannot enter this village, unless someone else who knows of its existence brings it in with them. Once you've entered once, you can always regain entry. Sometimes those who bring it with them are unaware that they do so."

"So the shield only works half the time, what damned good is it, then?" Natsuno grumbled, crossing his arms.

The nurse glanced toward the room. She had seen the red lights in Tohru's eyes when he opened them, combine that with how he reacted when she shut the curtain so quick that the relic on her necklace had nearly slung in his face, she reacted the only way she'd known how. "I suppose I shouldn't be telling you your business, but…" She pointed toward the door, "You kids have brought evil in with you, with that one. He'll be the death of you." She looked down the hall, "And that other blonde kid, too."

Natsuno held out his hand. "Just give me the damned key already," he growled. "Just because you scared him, that doesn't mean he's evil. Yes, he's strong enough that if he wanted to hurt you, he not only could have, but would have broken this door down already. What kind of a nurse goes around talking about people like that anyway?" The nurse sighed and handed Natsuno the key to the room. He unlocked it and pushed it open slightly. He heard a flinch and a faint gasp on the other side of the door. With a sigh, he practically tossed the key back in the nurse's face. "Take it and go. You can clean the room in the morning, when we're gone!"

Tohru looked up at the door, when he heard Natsuno's voice. "Natsuno…?"

"Are you alright?" Natsuno asked as he closed the door behind himself and cautiously approached the frightened Shiki.

Tohru nodded. "The blinds weren't open long enough to do any real damage. I think we both just startled each other is all."

"I'm sorry, I was down the hall with the others. I tried to get back before you woke up, but I didn't realize she was being sent in to clean the rooms," Natsuno explained, wrapping his arms around him.

"She hasn't liked me from the start," Tohru sighed, wrapping his arms around Natsuno. "No matter where we go, I'm always going to be seen as nothing more than a monster. It ALMOST makes me feel sorry for the Varuga… Those who became one against their will, anyway."

"Shh… Tohru-Chan," Natsuno sighed, hugging him tighter and stroking his hand through the Shiki's blonde hair. Natsuno already knew what it was like to feel like you didn't belong; it was a new experience for Tohru. "It's alright. When we get home, you and I will make for the city. We can get you some dark-tinted glasses or something to hide your eyes and you can find a night job. No one will ever have to know." He was attempting to comfort the Shiki but was worried that he was failing miserably.

"I suppose you're right," Tohru sighed and gently nuzzled Natsuno's neck.

"C'mon, Tohru," Natsuno said with a soft smile, "The others are waiting for us." Tohru nodded and followed him down the hall to where the others were.

"Tohru-Chan, what's wrong?" Yogi asked when they entered the room. Tohru was all smiles toward the others, like usual, but Yogi could sense something had shaken him up.

"Those two read each other like an open book," Gareki marveled, shaking his head.

"He had a run in with Nurse Opal," Natsuno informed them.

Yogi shivered. "Yeesh! Poor thing." He hugged Tohru's neck. "She's one scary lady, isn't she?"

"She didn't realize he was in the room and opened the blinds on him. She closed them quickly, but they startled each other," Natsuno explained. Somehow, Gareki got the feeling there was more to the story than that. "But, this little incident's reminded me of a few things we've been over looking in trying to make our plans." He leaned against the table. "As far as any of us know, Tatsumi and Megumi are still out there in those woods. If they haven't encountered this Varuga, it'll be a small blessing in disguise, unless it's able to stop them, when we couldn't. We don't know if destroying this thing will send them back if they're not there, but I won't exactly feel comfortable unleashing them on this unsuspecting world. While we don't know ITS weaknesses, we do know THEIRS." Tohru gently wrapped a hand around Natsuno's arm. His hand was icy cold and Natsuno had to use all of his willpower not to jolt from the sudden cold. He turned to look at Tohru and gave him a reassuring smile, patting the Shiki's hand with his free one. "For starters, there's the sun, we won't have that to our advantage for Tohru's safety. Then there's religious relics. I'm sure we can find some around here somewhere. But, we're going to need a couple of stakes to pierce through their hearts if they do arrive on the scene and become a nuisance."

"Megumi won't be a problem, even if she is there," Tohru said quietly.

"Right," Natsuno nodded, "We also have two members of our group who are sensitive to this creature's bells. Nai's sharp hearing probably makes them unbearably painful, considering how far away we're able to hear them with our own hearing."

"There's also the fact that this thing has been illusive as hell," Gareki threw out. "We looked all over for it for days, and when we finally found it, the damned thing had managed to sneak up on us."

"So, it's shielding itself sort of like this town?" Tohru asked.

"Or it's constantly slipping between time and dimensions," Tsukumo suggested.

"It appears to be every bit as nocturnal as the Okiagari, too. We never hear it during the day, and we still have no idea what it's been feeding on out there," Gareki sighed. "We're going to have to find some way to lure it out."

"This thing just gets more and more mysterious every time we look at it," Yogi said, scratching his head.

"So, let's deal with what we know," Natsuno said. "I'll leave the tasks of finding religious relics up to you guys, it shouldn't be too hard. Feel free to look for stakes as well, but I have a feeling those won't be as easy to come by."

"Why not just use Yogi's rose vines?" Tohru asked.

"ABOSLULETLY NOT!" Gareki and Natsuno both barked.

"Yogi's had to rely on those too much as it is," Gareki sighed. "I'll take Yogi and we'll look for the stakes, I assume we only need two."

"Nai and I will try to locate the holy relics," Tsukumo offered.

"That just leaves you two," Gareki said, looking to Natsuno.

"It's dark outside, but it's still not too late for all the stores to start closing. Tohru-Chan and I are going to look and see if we can find some ear plugs for him and Nai," Natsuno explained. "If destroying it sends us back to where we came from, we're going to have to be as close to each other as possible. We can't have those of us who are sensitive to sound falling behind."

Everyone nodded in agreement. As they continued talking, Natsuno was proving himself a brilliant tactician. For every plan that Gareki and Yogi suggested, he was able to point out the strengths and weaknesses behind it, and suggest a slightly safer method without completely altering their plans. He never thought he'd see the day when having read _**The Art of War**_ and _**The Book of Five Rings**_ would actually pay off in his everyday life.

Finally it was all settled, they had their plan ready to set in motion, they each knew their part. They split into their three groups to look for their specific items, all agreeing to meet back at the cave in the woods. Come this time tomorrow, they hoped to all be back where they belonged.


	28. 28 - Final Showdown

_**Author's Note:**_ Ok, sorry, sorry. All kinds of distractions here; looking for more Karneval pictures, adding one last chapter to "Innocence Lost", Karneval Manga Chapter 77 finally being up (it was too short, darn it! *Pouts*), other fan-fics, a day out to the movies with a coworker, booze, work, computer scares, car trouble… Stuff like that. …OK, yes! This chapter has a fight scene or two, and I've totally been putting it off! So, if there are some things that feel forced or contrived, I apologize now. To all my readers who were here for the Karneval characters, I'm SO sorry! I swear it was unintentional, but it really does seem that Natsuno and Tohru have dominated this story. I don't think there's enough story left to change all that, either, though. Oh, and Diamondx, I want to thank you for your awesome comment, though. Yes, I suppose I do show Megumi & Tatsumi in a light where it's easy to ship them. YES, Natsuno and Gareki are TOTALLY "Bromancing the Stone"-it's rare they find someone who acts and thinks just like them, and yes, Tsukumo is quite amusing as a Fujioshi. Also, yeah, Nurse Opal is a total idiot who is only there as deus ex machina towards the relationships, and it sounds like I got the reaction I was looking for with Yogi's theory having been right. I'm glad you're enjoying the story, you might enjoy my other Shiki stories, too. BlueDragon2908, thank you for all the story faves and follows. Anime-Frekkk, I'm glad you're still with me, thank you for joining me on this wild and crazy ride, please remain seated until it comes to a complete stop, we're almost there, and this time I mean it.

_**Chapter 28: Final Showdown**_

Natsuno and Tohru made their way back to the cave. Finding earplugs was remarkably much easier than they had expected. The clinic's head doctor, Dr. Tetsuo had insisted upon giving Gareki and Tsukumo some form of compensation for the work they had done in order to help support them on their way. This was beneficial for them as the cash they had from both worlds was nothing like what was used here. The group split the cash between them for the items they knew they needed, with a little extra incase of emergencies. Natsuno had also stopped off to buy some small snacks for the hike back to the cave, as none of them had eaten the entire day.

"It looks like we're the first ones back," Tohru noticed, looking around.

"Just as well," Natsuno said, having left his uneaten snacks in his pocket. He caught Tohru by the wrist, looked around, and led the Shiki back into the cave. "You didn't get fed before we left, either, did you?"

"No, but…" Tohru stammered. "Natsuno, Gareki-Kun said…"

"I know what he said!" Natsuno growled. "But I don't care. If we do this tonight, then we don't have time for you to go out and hunt. We should have gotten one extra blood pack from the hospital before we left. But we were too preoccupied with everything else." Natsuno sighed. "I'm sorry for that." He began to unbutton the neckline of his moss green button up shirt, which had been properly laundered during his stay at the hospital. He pulled away the collar, exposing his neck. The look on his face was firm and determined. Tohru couldn't talk him out of this if he tried. "I told you before, I'll give my blood willingly. Take just enough to sustain yourself for now, but do it quick before the others get here."

Tohru sighed and nodded. There was no arguing with Natsuno when he looked like that. Tohru gently wrapped his arms around Natsuno and titled the purple-haired teen's head to the side. He hesitated before gently biting into Natsuno's neck. Natsuno gave a quiet gasp and shut his eyes. Tohru felt Natsuno's hands clench onto the sides of his shirt and slightly tremble. Natsuno closed his eyes, staying as still as he possibly could. Tohru was being careful not to cause any undue strain or pain for Natsuno, but the purple-haired fifteen year old wasn't reacting this way out of pain.

Tohru only took thirty milliliters, the usual amount for a blood test. So soon after Natsuno's release from the hospital, he dared no more. He licked the wound clean, so as to keep any evidence from getting on Natsuno's shirt. It wasn't like Gareki could do anything to them about it, but neither of them really wanted the lecture on how Natsuno still needed time to recover. Natsuno rebuttoned his shirt and took a seat against the wall of the cave.

"Natsu…?" Tohru started.

"Calm down, Tohru, I'm fine," Natsuno cut him off and assured him, with a smile. "Just give me a few minutes to sit, alright?" Tohru nodded. Natsuno smiled and patted the ground next to him. Tohru smiled and sat beside him, leaning his head against Natsuno's good shoulder. Natsuno pulled out one of the snacks, a beef stick, ripped it open and began to eat.

"_That actually smells good,_" Tohru thought. He didn't say it out loud because he knew Natsuno needed it after the blood loss, and he didn't want his love to feel guilty for eating it in front of him.

Tsukumo and Nai were the next to arrive. Tsukumo had claimed the easiest task for the both of them, religious relics were easy to find. They too had stopped off for snacks. Tsukumo noticed Natsuno was acting a little tired, and it didn't take long for her to figure out what happened, however, she quietly decided that was their business and simply sat down across the way from them, pulling out a bag of freeze-dried fruit chips, she popped it open and began daintily nibbling at them. Nai sat beside her, enjoying a bag of popcorn. Tohru quietly looked around, trying to find some way to inconspicuously preoccupy himself while the humans ate, suddenly glad he'd let Natsuno talk him into feeding before the others got there.

Yogi and Gareki were of course having a hard time. Stakes aren't exactly common place items found on the market. "Ne, Gareki, this is getting tiresomely boring," Yogi yawned, folding his hands together behind his head. "We've been searching for hours, and I bet everyone else has already reached the cave. From what you've told me, those two should have been scared off by now, plus, we've been away for nearly two whole weeks. I'm sure they've moved on by now. Can't we just call it a night and rely on my rose vines IF they show up?"

Gareki sighed and spun around to look Yogi in the face. "Absolutely not!" he insisted. He sighed and shook his head. "Yogi, you've used them too much since we got here and you've used up too much energy. That's why the Varuga was able to pull you in." He put a hand on Yogi's shoulder. "I'm telling you as your friend and as a doctor, it's a bad idea," he advised. Giving a sigh, he pulled Yogi closer and leaned in, gently whispering into the blonde's ear, "And I'm telling you as your lover, I don't want you to get hurt again."

Yogi smiled and nodded, holding back the happy tears he felt trying to sting the edges of his eyes. His face turned a soft shade of red and he could feel the heat sweep across it from the blush. His heart skipped a beat before he felt it start to pound a little faster. There was a point where he never would have believed Gareki cared one way or another what happened to him. But now, he was certain that thought was nowhere near the truth. "Alright, let's keep looking," he said with a smile, locking arms with Gareki.

Natsuno and the others looked up as Yogi and Gareki finally reached the cave. "Good grief, Yogi?" Natsuno asked, standing up and whirling around to look at the pair. "What'd you do, buy out an entire candy store?"

"Well, there weren't any stakes in town, but Gareki found a wooden pole, a hammer, and a knife for really cheap. So he's been whittling the pole into stakes and I used the rest to buy snacks for the road," he said holding up the four bags of groceries he had in his hands, a huge smile on his face, and a giggle in his voice.

"I tried to tell him he was buying too much. I think he wanted to take some back for Hirato and the others, though," Gareki sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

"There's not a single piece of meat in those is there?" Natsuno asked as Gareki walked past him.

"Unfortunately, no," Gareki sighed. Natsuno smirked, reached into his pocket and whipped out a spare beef stick, which he passed over his shoulder to Gareki. Gareki smirked and took it, ripping it open. "Thanks."

Yogi passed out a few of the sweets to the others, before flopping down next to Tohru. Yogi stopped and glanced to his side, realizing Tohru was trying to avoid staring at the bags of food. He suddenly thought better of the bigger treat he was going to take out for himself and popped a single, small, gum drop, which he would be able to finish quickly, into his mouth. He then passed the bags to Nai and asked the Niji-half breed to put the rest into one of their supply bags, so as to keep them hidden, though he didn't word it in such a way. Natsuno noticed it, too. He took the sweets Yogi had handed him and stuffed them in his pocket, rather than eat them. When Tohru was hunting, it was as if he was getting to share some portion of the meal with them, even if it wasn't along side them. But this was different.

Natsuno sighed, rubbed the back of his head, and quietly caught Tohru by the arm, pulling him back inside the cave away from the others. "You alright?" he asked.

Tohru smiled and nodded. "Yeah, it's just…" He quietly glanced back toward where the others were sitting. "Ya' know, it's something I didn't realize I missed until just now."

Natsuno popped open a small hard candy. "Open your mouth, Tohru."

"Huh?" Tohru blinked.

"Just humor me," Natsuno sighed. Tohru nodded and did as he was told. Natsuno gently popped the candy into Tohru's mouth. "If you can't hold it, then spit it out. I don't want you getting sick, but humor me and let's test something." Tohru blinked. He could taste all the flavors of the mint. It was like a cool rush running through him. Yet, it didn't make him sick. He managed to swallow it. Natsuno smiled. "Interesting. Apparently you can handle some human foods, it's just that you need blood specifically to keep yourself nourished. Maybe because your body no longer understands how to breakdown the foods to get the right things out of it, so it needs to take it directly from the source."

Tohru smiled. Natsuno was looking at this whole thing as if it were some kind of scientific puzzle, without taking extreme measures. Lucky for Natsuno, he had a willingly trusting guinea pig.

"Oi!? What are you two up to in there?" Gareki called out to them.

"Nothing, really," Natsuno answered calmly, as he and Tohru rejoined the others, "I was just checking something."

"Well, we've got company," Gareki sighed, nodding towards the trees.

"The Varuga?" Tohru asked. Natsuno pulled out the earplugs and handed a pair to Tohru and Nai each.

"No. Our Okiagari 'friends' are back," Gareki answered, "Nai heard them talking, sounds like they're headed this way."

"Both of them?" Yogi asked.

Gareki nodded. "It's a shame I didn't bleed the wench dry," Tohru grumbled, "And a pity Yogi didn't stab that bastard in the heart when I told him to." Natsuno blinked. He couldn't recall ever seeing this side of Tohru.

"Eh?" Yogi flinched, "When did you…?" He shook his head. "_SILVER,_" he thought, putting a hand to his head.

"You two want to finish this, or stay in the cave?" Gareki asked.

Natsuno shot him a look that seemed to ask if he was crazy or not. "Run like a dog with my tail between my legs and hide while someone else fights my battle for me? Like HELL!" he scoffed. "Tohru-Chan, you can stay inside if you'd rather not see this, though."

Tohru shook his head. "Not that I don't trust the others, but I'm not leaving your side again while **she** still walks." Natsuno smiled and nodded, he could accept that answer. Gareki smirked, he'd expected those answers.

"T-Tatsumi-Kun, they're back!" Megumi gaped, seeing the group of six standing in front of the cave. Her eyes widened. "Y…Yuuki-KUN!" She pounced at Natsuno, before anyone else had time to blink. "You're still alive!?" It had been two weeks since she'd sunk her teeth into anything. Even though she was elated to see him, she couldn't resist the urge to bite. Natsuno let out a yelp of pain and shuddered. Megumi's bite was no where near as gentle as Tohru's. It was venomous and painful, he could instantly feel himself becoming weaker and it felt as though she was ripping at the flesh on his neck.

"NATSUNO!" the others exclaimed worriedly.

Before Megumi knew what had happened, Tohru was between her and Natsuno, his hand on her throat, the red lights flashing in his eyes. He tightened his grip on her throat and lifted her off the ground. Natsuno took a step back, blinking as the pink-haired girl who had haunted his nightmares for so long struggled and squirmed trying to free herself from his lover's grip. "You will not touch him again," Tohru hissed. He could feel her clawing at his arm, trying desperately to get away. "Natsuno?" He looked over his shoulder. The purple haired fifteen year old was clutching his neck and shivering in pain. "Natsuno, are you alright?" Tohru asked worriedly.

"I-I'm fine," Natsuno coughed, trying to catch his breath. "_If Tohru-Chan had acted a split second later, she could have…_" he thought, his purple eyes staring at the sight before him.

"Yuu…Yuuki-Kuun," she struggled to voice her plea. Okiagari didn't need to breath, but in order to speak, they had to act as though they were, with Tohru applying such pressure to her throat, it was difficult. She knew Tohru would listen to Natsuno and do whatever he said. She was somewhat frightened of the blonde after their last encounter, she'd never expected Tohru to stand up to her the way he had. "Yuuki-Kun, I didn't mean it, p-please, make him let go. Don't let him hurt me again," she pleaded.

Natsuno looked at her, his eyes wide with fear at her soulless gaze. To an outsider, her eyes and Tohru's both were nothing more than empty black spears. Even so, Natsuno could see the warmth and love of Tohru's soul still within his eyes. Megumi's were cold and malicious, even now, as they were filled with fear of the teenager she had murdered and turned, he could see her vicious jealousy for the blonde, and the snake-like deceit she harbored. As soon as she was loose, she would attack Tohru and come for him again, or ignore Tohru altogether and come for him as a way to hurt both of them.

"Tohru," Natsuno finally forced himself to speak up.

Tohru flinched, the lights fading from his eyes. He glanced over his shoulder at the purple haired boy. Megumi's eyes widened, a smile spreading across her face, as she thought he was going to order him to let her go. "Natsuno?" Tohru quietly asked, his grip almost loosening on Megumi's throat. "_Is he having a change of heart? Is he really going to let her go?_" he thought, "_There's no way her hypnotic venom could have worked on him is there?_"

"Y-Yuuki-Kun?" Megumi chirped, sounding relieved.

"Hold that bitch down," Natsuno ordered, taking the hammer and one of Gareki's makeshift stakes in his hands, ignoring the blood that was still escaping the wound on his neck and staining his shirt. It would have been easy to let someone else do this, to step aside and let Yogi hold her while Gareki staked her. But Natsuno knew he couldn't allow that. This girl had stalked him, murdered the love of his life-turning him into a creature of the night, and chased to him to no end. He had come to hate and fear her. If he allowed someone else to do this, he would probably never truly be free of her. Even after she was destroyed, if he was not the one to do it, he knew thoughts of her would still plague his mind.

Tohru nodded and did as he was told. He pinned the writhing pink haired Shiki to the ground, moving so that he was holding her wrists, rather than her throat. "NO!" she shrieked, trying to squirm away as Natsuno walked over to them. "How come it didn't work? Why can't I control you? Tatsumi-Kun!?"

"Megumi-Chan!" Tatsumi lunged in to try and save her, only to be forced away by Yogi and Gareki, who realized Natsuno and Tohru were leaving themselves vulnerable to the Jinrou.

Tatsumi snarled at them, his eyes settling on Yogi. He realized he would have to deal with these two if he wanted to swoop in and save Megumi. "You don't look so eager to fight tonight, Blondie," Tatsumi chuckled. "I think I enjoyed your silver counterpart much better. He was at least a competent challenge. It's still a shame that you hold so much power, yet waste it on protecting these pitiful humans."

Yogi tried to play dumb, acting as though he didn't know what Tatsumi was talking about. "Bastard… You've got a big mouth, you know that," Gareki growled. Though, in truth, Gareki had had his suspicions for a long time; he was almost certain Yogi knew what was going on with his body and his alter egos. Now, however, wasn't the time to be pulling those up, however.

"Yuuki-Kun, don't do this!" Megumi wailed, trying desperately to pull free of Tohru's grip.

Natsuno knelt down next to her and Tohru. His breath was heavy, his hands were shaky. He knew he had to do this in order to have any moment's peace. But he was hesitant. Was he truly ready to hold the weight of taking his stalker's life? "Natsuno," Tohru said softly, seeing the confliction in his eyes. "Natsuno, you don't have to do this, if you don't feel like you can," he said.

Natsuno looked up at Tohru. The timid blonde Shiki was in truth just as frightened about this as he was, and equally worried about the younger's health. This was, after all, his murderess he was holding down, and the boy he so dearly loved was holding the one weapon that was lethal to both of them. "_If not for myself, then for Tohru,_" Natsuno thought, "_One way or another, this has to be done._" Natsuno closed his eyes and shook his head, clenching the stake tighter. "Tohru, hold her down, but look away if you must," he said as calmly as possible. "I can't let just anyone do this."

"Yuuki-Kun, why!?" Megumi wailed, beginning to thrash about again. "Yuuki-Kun please," her pleading became more desperate as Natsuno lifted the stake and held it over her heart. "Don't… Don't kill me," she begged.

Natsuno hesitated, he even flinched. He looked into her black eyes, there was no trace of humanity left in them. He shook his head. "I can't kill you, Megumi," he said.

"Natsuno…" Tohru blinked at him curiously.

"Y-Yuuki-Kun!" she said happily, letting out what was a relieved sigh.

Natsuno hated to say this in front of Tohru, but he knew it was the truth. "I can't kill someone who's already dead," he stated, "I can only lay you to rest."

"N-Natsuno…"

"Y-uu-k-i-Kun…?"

"Rest in peace, Shimizu," Natsuno said, driving the stake into her heart. Tohru flinched and looked away, releasing Megumi's wrists and almost stumbling back. Megumi let out one last screech as the wooden stake pierced through her heart. Natsuno staggered backward, holding his hand to his neck as the pink haired Shiki's blood sprayed from the wound and her body gave one quick jerk before falling limp and lifeless. Her head turned to the side in that jerk, her empty eyes, still open, pointed at Natsuno. Tohru realized quickly that Natsuno was having trouble pulling his eyes away from hers. He jumped in front of Natsuno, blocking his view of the pink Vampiress and leading him to the side, where Tsukumo and Nai were standing, Tsukumo shielding Nai from the sight of the impaled Okiagari. The last thing Tohru wanted was for this to start Natsuno down a new track of nightmares. "T-Tohru-Chan…?" Natsuno quietly gasped, clenching tight to the blonde Shiki's shirt, forcing back a pained and half-frightened sob. After what he'd said, after what he had just done, he was afraid Tohru would distance himself from him. Yet, there he was, comforting him instead.

"Shh… Natsuno," Tohru whispered, softly running a hand through the boy's purple hair, holding him tight. "It's alright, Natsuno. It's alright. It's all over now." He felt Natsuno's grip on his shirt tighten. "She can't hurt either of us anymore." He gently tilted Natsuno's head up so that their eyes met and he smiled reassuringly at the fifteen year old. "Here, you're neck, let me see?" he said softly.

"I'm fine, Tohru-Chan," Natsuno insisted, "Just a little shaken. I'll be alright."

"I can bandage the wound for now," Tsukumo offered, pulling out a first aid kit. Natsuno and Tohru both sighed and gave her a nod of thanks.

Tohru glanced back at Yogi and Gareki. The two were doing their best to keep Tatsumi at bay. Tatsumi managed to separate Yogi and Gareki a few feet from each other. Tohru, Natsuno, and Nai were all too close to Tsukumo for him to go for his 'thrall'. After two whole weeks, the venom that would allow him to control her would no longer be in her system, but as long as he was still 'alive' no other Okiagari could drink from her. As much as he would have liked to have saved Megumi from Tohru and Natsuno, he knew that her fate was justified by Vampire law for having bit Natsuno without Tohru's permission, not once but twice. However, he never thought they'd actually do it. The pair was braver than he gave them credit for. He tackled Gareki to the ground.

"Gareki!" the others exclaimed.

"Natsuno, stay here with Tsukumo and Nai-Chan," Tohru instructed. Natsuno nodded. "Tsukumo-Chan, whatever happens, please don't let him look toward her?" he motioned toward Megumi's body with his head. Tsukumo nodded in agreement.

"Tohru, be careful," Natsuno pleaded. Tohru smiled and nodded at him reassuringly.

The Jinrou was stronger than Tohru, but in the end, he and Yogi were the only ones who had any chance of matching speed and strength with Tatsumi. Perhaps working together, they could subdue him. Tohru tackled Tatsumi, knocking him off Gareki, just before those fangs had a chance to sink into the black-haired teen's throat. Megumi had acted on impulse, before anyone could bat an eye, but Tatsumi was being deliberate, he had intended to make Gareki suffer while the others watched, which allowed a window of action to knock him away before anyone else could get hurt. "Gareki-Kun, go join the others," Yogi exclaimed. Throwing caution to the wind, even though he knew what Gareki had told him, the violet eyed blonde lashed a thorned vine at the Jinrou, as if cracking a whip, driving him back.

"Yogi!" Gareki started.

"Gareki, go!" Tohru said sternly, standing between him and Tatsumi. "Yogi and I can handle him."

Gareki sighed and nodded. This wasn't a Varuga he was fighting, after all, his own weapons would be useless in doing anything more than slowing Tatsumi down. He turned and joined the others as instructed.

Tatsumi began to laugh. "The two of you are going to 'handle' me?" he cackled, "Oh, that's rich." Tatsumi lunged at Tohru, throwing a kick. "You're both a couple of cowards," he growled.

Tohru side stepped the kick and spun so that he could grab the Jinrou's shoulders. "That may be," Tohru started.

"But we're not about to step aside and let our loved ones be threatened by you," Yogi stated, as he approached the two Okiagari.

"Humph," Tatsumi chortled. He caught Tohru's elbows in his hands. "Do you honestly think I'm afraid of the two of you?" He used all the force of his strength he could muster to flip Tohru over his shoulders, slamming him into Yogi. "If you're the best this group has to offer, I can take you all out in a matter of minutes."

"Don't get too full of yourself," Gareki and Natsuno mumbled, knowing good and well their Ukes, as Tsukumo so gracefully put it, were capable of much more than they appeared, and until otherwise necessary, that's how the blondes preferred it.

Tohru and Yogi scrambled back to their feet. Tatsumi had laid down the challenge, and they were willing to accept it. They exchanged quiet glances, smiled, and nodded. "You really think you can take us both at once?" Yogi chirped.

"Then we're ready for you, Tatsumi," Tohru granted.

"Tsk, cocky little bastards, aren't you?" he scoffed. He swung a punch at Yogi. Yogi threw his left arm up blocking the punch with his Circus ID bracelet. He managed to block the punch, but he felt his heels dig into the ground a little, and he was certain there would be a bruise under the bracelet. Had the blow landed anywhere else, he was certain it would have pushed him back.

Tohru landed an elbow into Tatsumi's right side, putting in just enough force to hear a rib crack and knock the Jinrou back a bit. "It's been two weeks since you've had human blood, Tatsumi," the Shiki reminded him. "And you've got the two of us standing between you and every available source." He smirked. "Right now, you're standing on OUR level."

Tatsumi's eyes widened in realization, as he pushed himself back onto his knees. Tohru was right. He hadn't fed 'properly' in two whole weeks. While Tohru and the others were all standing there, the very pictures of health. "_But in the state Megumi had left him in, for Tohru to feed on Natsuno would have killed him… They found a town somewhere, didn't they?_" he thought. He chuckled as he stood. "Been feeding on innocent townsfolk, Tohru? You're more of a Vampire than I gave you credit for."

"Nothing of the sort," Tohru replied. "Unlike Shimizu, I intend to keep my humanity in tact for as long as possible… That's why when we return home, I won't be carrying your head back to your mistress on a silver platter."

Tatsumi chuckled. "IF you make it back home, Sunako will sick every Shiki in Sotoba after you and your precious Natsuno. How long do you think your humanity will hold out when you're staring down an army of Okiagari and the only choice you're left with is to be ripped asunder or to kill the boy pulling your leash? How long do you think it will hold out once he's gone?"

Tohru shook his head, as much as he wanted to shut Tatsumi out and ignore such claims, he knew these were obstacles that he would one day have to deal with. He simply glared at the Jinrou. "Tohru-Chan's stronger than that," Yogi interjected. Both of the Okiagari flinched, having almost forgotten the post-human prince was caught up in this as well. "As long as he has Natsuno at his side, he has an anchor to help him hold on to his humanity, no matter how many monsters you throw at him. Once Natsuno's gone, he'll have the love they shared between them to keep him going for centuries to come."

Natsuno and Gareki quietly exchanged looks. "_Is he talking about Tohru and Natsuno…_" Gareki thought.

"…_Or himself and Gareki?_" Natsuno thought, the two dark-haired teens working on the same wavelength.

Tohru and Yogi also exchanged looks, quietly smiling at each other. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Yogi," Tohru chuckled quietly, knowing that Yogi was actually talking about the both of them.

Tatsumi raised an eyebrow. "Geeze, that's sappy," he growled, closing his eyes and looking away. His eyes darted back to the two blondes, "You two certainly are all buddy-buddy, aren't you? You cling so tight to your 'humanity', yet neither of you are human, you're both something stronger that could easily over power and control humans, especially if you worked together."

"But we won't," they said in unison.

"Because then we'd truly loose what makes us who we are," Tohru said.

Tatsumi growled. "Cut it out with that kind of talk. You're so sappy it's making my teeth hurt."

"Yeah, well, they do have a tendency to give you cavities just by listening to them," Gareki quietly snarked from the sidelines. "… Why are they fighting him by themselves, again?" his eyes shifted to Natsuno.

"Because, they're the only ones with the strength and weapons capable of damaging a Jinrou, we'd just be in the way. Tohru needs to fight him out of principal, this is the guy who threatened his family in ransom for my life. Yogi… That's out of pride for his silver counter part, isn't it?" Natsuno replied, his hand still tightly clutching at the now bandaged wound on his neck. He quietly blinked. "_Damn it all, my vision's getting blurry,_" he thought.

Tatsumi's eyes locked on to Tohru, a wicked grin sweeping his face. "And you, for every moment you spend fighting me, your precious Natsuno is over there in pain. Megumi-Chan wanted nothing more than for him to become one of us so she could steal him from you. But even in her death, there's a chance she's taken him from you."

Tohru clenched his fist, closed his eyes, and shook his head. Yogi could almost swear he heard the Shiki's teeth grinding together. "Shut up, Tatsumi!" Tohru seethed. "Don't try to make it sound like I don't care. Forced to choose between Natsuno and my family, when I knew you could do them harm, I became scared and confused. I wanted to protect them all. Given the choice between Natsuno and myself, however… I'll throw myself on the stake every time."

Tatsumi chuckled. "Oh really? Well, you might just get your wish." He pounced at Tohru, shoving Yogi to one side.

The two Okiagari fell into a tumble as they struggled against one another. When they stopped rolling, Tohru lay flat on his back, Tatsumi's hands at his throat, claws digging into the flesh, the Jinrou's fangs bared. The Shiki locked his elbow under Tatsumi's throat, just below the chin, holding the Jinrou where he couldn't bite into him.

"Tohru!" Natsuno called, snatching up the other stake. He started to dart in, but a sudden dizzy spell hit him, holding him back. Gareki noticed the swoon and quickly caught hold of Natsuno, pulling the purple haired teen to his knees.

"DORNKISTE!"

"Yogi, damnit!" Gareki grumbled.

Tatsumi suddenly became tangled up in Yogi's thorns and pulled off of Tohru. It was a risk he knew he was taking, but the two Okiagari had come to a stale mate, his intervention was the only way he saw out of this. Tohru scrambled to his feet, rubbing his throat. Thankfully, Tatsumi had failed, yet again, to do any serious damage. "Gareki, the stake, toss it here!" Tohru called. Gareki tossed the stake so that it would land on the ground at Tohru's feet, rather than hitting the Shiki himself. Tohru scooped it up and turned his attention to the green haired Jinrou. "Yogi…" The red lights flickered in Tohru's eyes. "Let him go and go stand with the others."

Megumi had been someone Natsuno and Tohru had to take out together as she had directly done harm to both of them. Tatsumi however, was someone Tohru knew he had to take on alone at the end. Yogi gave a slow, quiet nod, releasing Tatsumi and quickly joining the others as he was told.

"Feeling brave enough to take me one on one, now are we?" Tatsumi laughed.

Tohru clenched the stake tight and gave a nod. "We finish this tonight, Tatsumi," he answered, knowing only one of them would come out of this.

Tatsumi stood with his hands on his hips, a smirk across his face. He tilted his head upward and toward the left, yet kept his eyes locked on the clearly trembling blonde Shiki. "Come at me then, little fledgling," he chuckled menacingly. The Jinrou sidestepped as Tohru lunged at him with the stake. He hooked a leg around Tohru's ankle and tripped the Shiki, sending him stumbling forward, landing flat on his stomach. Tatsumi straddled Tohru's back and caught him by the hair, pulling his face up from the dirt. "I thought making you watch your best friend die would be a lot of fun," Tatsumi chortled. "But now I'm thinking instead, I should force your lover to watch me kill you and every one of your new friends, one by one, until he's the only one left. I wonder if such regrets will condemn him to becoming an Okiagari such as us?" Tatsumi reached out to grab the stake from Tohru's hand.

Tohru thought about tossing the stake to the side to force Tatsumi to have to get off of him to get at it, but he was well aware that Tatsumi wouldn't need it to kill him. Tatsumi, after all, wasn't a Shiki, he was capable of things they weren't. He had to think of something, and he had to do it quick. He waited until Tatsumi's hand was around the stake, then quickly seized the Jinrou's wrist with his free hand. Clenching tight, he twisted Tatsumi's wrist, inflicting discomfort until he was forced to release his hold. Tohru gave one good buck to throw the Jinrou off his back. Tatsumi landed on the ground, but before he could move, Tohru was upon him. He moved a lot faster when Natsuno's safety was involved. Tohru closed his eyes at the sound as the stake drove through Tatsumi's heart.

The Shiki trembled a little as he brought himself to his feet. He closed his eyes and shook his head. Tatsumi and Megumi were both gone, it was all over, for now at least. "_When we return home, Sunako will hunt us to no end. But at least for now, we're safe,_" he thought. He turned to join the others. "Natsuno?" he threw his arms around the purple haired teenager, nuzzling his hair.

Natsuno gave a soft chuckle and hugged the blonde Shiki. "It's all over now," Natsuno said quietly.

"Are you alright, Natsuno?" Tohru asked, his hand gently rubbing the bandages that Tsukumo had wrapped around the boy's neck.

Natsuno smiled and nodded. "I'll be fine. I'm tougher than I look," he tried to assure him.

"Now that they're no longer a threat, all we need is…" Gareki started. As if on cue, the clock bell sounded. It seemed this creature always sounded out right after contact with the two Okiagari. This time it was so loud, it shook the ground they were standing on.

"It sounds angry," Nai whimpered, holding his hands to his ears.

As usual, Natsuno found himself with Tohru's head buried into his chest at the first sound of the bell. "Tohru-Chan," Natsuno sighed, gently stroking the Shiki's hair. "Calm down and put in your earplugs," he reminded him.

"Well, after what Yogi did to it during our last encounter, it doesn't surprise me that our presence has pissed it right the hell off," Gareki commented.

Tsukumo quickly gathered up the provisions bags, thankfully, they were already all tied together to save time, so none would be left behind if they were all teleported back at the end of this battle. She had already quietly reserved herself for 'babysitting' duty during this battle. Now, not only did she have Nai and the provisions to stand guard over, but Natsuno was injured as well, and Tohru was also sitting this one out, leaving Gareki and Yogi to fight as usual. As Gareki and Yogi rushed out to meet the Varuga, Nai and Tohru put in their ear plugs. Tsukumo reached into her pocket and pulled out the religious relics she and Nai had purchased. So far, they had been unnecessary. Both Okiagari had been put down for their final rest without these items being needed. She told the boys to stay where they were, and approached the fallen Vampires. Six relics, one for each member of the group, even though she knew Tohru couldn't have used the one she'd bought for him. She moved Tatsumi's body so that he was laying next to Megumi and placed them so that their left and right hands were touching. If this thing sent them back to where they came from as well, even though they were dead, she wanted the bodies to be as close to each other as possible for when they were found. She then took the six relics, wrapping two around the Okiagari's touching hands, hanging one off of each stake, and then placing one around each of their necks. These relics may have no effect on the now fully deceased Vampires, but perhaps they would protect the bodies from any further undo harm. Completing this task, she turned and quietly rejoined the others.


	29. 29 - Where We Belong (Finale)

_**Author's Note:**_ Here we are, folks, end of the line. It's been fun and thank you ALL for sticking with me. I have two other Karneval stories in mind, but I REALLY must be getting back to "Another Way Part 3" soon. Oh, and so far, Gareki hasn't had the chance to write out what kind of speech he'd give, and I really don't want to assume, I'm worried I'd try to make it sound bad $$ and fail miserably at it, so that's why I don't write one in. However, as Gareki is a self-taught explosives expert, and most of the Circus attacks are German words (Yogi's Dornkiste = Thorn Chest or Thorn Cradle, Iva's Kronesaphir = Crown's Sapphire), Gareki's Explosionswelle here is German for Explosion Wave. This I kind of guessed at for his special ability, though it'd be really awesome if we ever get far enough into the story to learn I guessed right. Anime-Frekkk, BlueDragon2908, Cade Mistral, ariados26, Zeroize, and Diamondx, you've all been complete dolls. I hope you guys enjoy this final chapter, I've got a bit of a surprise in store for you all at the end.

_**Chapter 29: Where We Belong (Finale)**_

Yogi was sent out to lure the Varuga in. It was Natsuno's belief that since Yogi had been the last one to do it damage, it would want to even the score. Sure enough, Yogi wasn't gone long before he came flying back to the others, with the Varuga hot on his trail, the bells sounding off madly as it gave chase.

Natsuno blinked at the sight. "That… has to be… the most surreal thing I've ever seen," he stated, having paused not out of discomfort, but out of sheer shock. The giant mass of black ooze with a clock face for an eye, chasing after the flying violet eyed blonde had simply caused all rationality in his mind to finally shut down, forcing him to stop and collect his thoughts before he could properly speak. This thing really did look just as they had described it. Tohru was speechless, an unusual occurrence, but completely understandable.

Yogi lead the creature back to Gareki. "Garekiii-Kuuun, Varuga incoming!" he exclaimed.

Gareki raised an eyebrow. "You were only supposed to be pretending to be afraid of it, idiot!" Gareki grumbled.

"Yeah, I know," Yogi whimpered, floating just above Gareki's head, his violet eyes quite lachrymose. He clenched his hands into fists just below his chin and glanced over his shoulder at the oncoming Varuga. "But, it's really, REALLY angry!"

Gareki sighed and closed his eyes. While he could sit there and call Yogi an idiot all he wanted, he had to admit the reaction was sort of cute. "EXPLOSIONSWELLE!" he shouted. _**BOOM!**_ An explosion just beneath the Varuga stopped it in his tracks. It opened its mouth an let the bell sound out as if giving off a loud roar. "Tsk. Are you quite finished?" Gareki sneered. "Let's get this over with, I have injured I need to attend to."

Yogi turned to face the creature, summoning his epées. The two began to give their required speeches, weaving them into one another, much as Tsukumo and Iva had done working together at Smokey Mansion.

"From the Government Defense Force, Circus…" they said simultaneously.

"Second Ship Fighter, Lieutenant Yogi…"

"Second Ship Combat Physician, Gareki…"

"We challenge you!" they finished unanimously.

Natsuno shook his head and sank to his knees, suddenly this was too much flamboyance for him to take. Tohru blinked, "Wow, that was really cool," he muttered. Tsukumo put a daintily curled hand to her lips and giggled. It was the first time Gareki had used his special attack, the first time he had the chance to give his speech in battle, Tsukumo thought it combined with Yogi's quite beautifully.

Once more, Yogi and Gareki found themselves in what appeared a pointless battle. The Varuga's body seemed to remain unscathed, no matter what they did to it. "Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Gareki scoffed.

"How is this thing still moving!?" Yogi exasperated. "We've blown it up, shot it, stabbed it, and torn bits and pieces of it off with my thorns, and still nothing's stopping it."

"Trajectory Arrow!" Tsukumo tried to intervene. The Varuga simply swatted the arrow aside as if swatting a fly.

"NO WAY!" came the unanimous reaction.

"How the hell did they make a Varuga that's impervious to all of our attacks?" Gareki exclaimed.

Natsuno looked the creature over. "That can't be," he thought out loud, "EVERYTHING has to have a weakness of some sort." His eyes landed on the clock face. "No way?"

"Natsuno?" Tohru asked.

Natsuno started to laugh. "Don't tell me it was something that simple?" He smiled. "Oi, Gareki! You and Tsukumo both, aim for the clock's face!"

"Huh?" the others replied.

"The face?" Tsukumo asked.

"You're attacking the body, which is just the Varuga cells," Natsuno pointed. "The Varuga cells themselves are capable of healing, they are after all corrupted versions of your Incure cells. The true creature is the clock."

"Of course, why did I think of that before?" Gareki quipped in realization.

Tsukumo nodded. "It's worth a try." She turned and aimed for her arrow. "Gareki-Kun?" she asked.

Gareki aimed his gun. "I'm ready!" he replied.

"NOW!" they both shouted, as they released their projectiles.

The shots hit at the same time, the energy from Tsukumo's arrow combined with Gareki's bullet, causing an explosion within the clock itself, destroying the clock and it's internal mechanisms. "We did it!" Tsukumo exclaimed happily. "Natsuno-Kun, that was a stroke of genius!" she praised.

Gareki grabbed Yogi's wrist and pulled him back to the cave entrance. The Varuga's body began to shatter and fall apart. The clock gave out one last, slow bell toll which sounded as though it were breaking down. They began to see the sparks, much like from before the computer at the lab blew up. "This is it, guys," Gareki said. "If this works, we're headed home."

"Take care of yourselves," Natsuno said as Tohru wrapped his arms around his waist.

Gareki looked up at Natsuno. He smiled, reached over, and shook Natsuno's hand. "You too," he said, "Be sure to get that looked at as soon as you can make your way to a doctor," he ordered, pointing at the bandages around Natsuno's throat. He'd miss these two, but neither him nor Natsuno were the type for long goodbyes.

Yogi and Tohru, on the other hand…

"Whaaa! I'm gonna' miss you guys!" Yogi threw his arms around Tohru.

"Oh Geeze!" Natsuno and Gareki both rolled their eyes.

"Yogi, come on," Gareki sighed, gently grabbing Yogi's elbow and pulling him back. "Don't make it any harder than it already is," he whispered. He knew what was going on in Yogi's mind; the violet eyed blonde hated having to say goodbye to friends he knew there was little to no chance of ever seeing again.

Suddenly, Natsuno swooned, feeling extremely dizzy. He had been unconscious during the last transportation, he had hoped to still be conscious during this one. "Natsuno!?" Tohru caught hold of him, worriedly.

"Natsuno?" the others exclaimed. Gareki bent down to check on Natsuno. But it was too late, the teleportation had begun.

_***TIME SKIP***_

"Natsuno? Natsuno!" Tohru's voice pleaded. "Come on, Natsuno, wake up, please."

"T-Tohru-Chan?" Natsuno blinked his eyes open.

"Oh thank goodness," Tohru sighed, hugging Natsuno tight.

Natsuno's vision became clearer and he let his eyes wander about, taking in their surroundings. It looked like the inside of an old rundown mansion. "Where are we?"

"Um… Yeah, about that," Tohru said with a nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand, still cradling Natsuno in his other arm.

"How is he?" Yogi's voice came softly from the doorway.

"He just woke up," Tohru answered.

Yogi smiled and approached them. "That's good. Tsukumo-Chan finally managed to reach Hirato-San. They're on their way, and will take us all straight to Research Tower for check ups," he explained, kneeling down beside them. "It's nearly dawn, Tohru-Chan, you should get some rest."

"Wait…?" Natsuno sat up. "You mean we…?"

"When you fainted, I bent down to check on you," Gareki's voice came from the doorway. "Rather than sending the two of you back to where you came from, we all got sent back to our world, right inside the very mansion we had been sent to investigate in the first place. Our ship should be here within the hour. You should both get some rest until then."

"Gareki…" Natsuno groaned, "This Doctor Akari of yours?" Yogi shivered at the mere mention of the name. Gareki and Yogi both landed their eyes on Tohru, as if they knew where Natsuno's train of thought was going.

"Don't worry, Natsuno," Gareki assured him, "Hirato and I didn't let them dissect Nai, I won't let them hurt Tohru, either. Besides, he'll probably be too preoccupied chasing Yogi around trying to get a simple blood sample."

Yogi flinched again, his face almost turning green. He'd hoped that with Gareki becoming a combat physician, he wouldn't have to deal with Dr. Akari any more. What none of them were aware of was the blessing in disguise they received in being sent to Akari, rather than back to Sotoba and Doctor Ozaki, who had slowly been going mad during the boys' absence trying to figure out why so many villagers were dying. A Shiki on his autopsy table would have been a gruesome sight.

The next time Natsuno opened his eyes, he was in another hospital bed, having been the only one out of the group of six that wasn't given a clean bill of health. Tohru's situation was a bit different. Considering his 'condition' as a Shiki, he was completely healthy, though, once again, he had to rely on medical blood supplies while Natsuno recovered. He soon found himself disliking Doctor Akari as well, for while the doctor didn't try to take him apart to find out what made him tick, he certainly did joke about it. Of course, Gareki and Hirato both spoiled his fun when he did so.

"What's his problem?" Dr. Akari asked, as Natsuno stared daggers at him.

"Two things," Gareki chuckled, "One, he knows you've been scaring the hell out of Tohru, much as you seem to love to do to Yogi." Dr. Akari raised an eyebrow, Gareki's voice almost sounded threatening in this statement, making the doctor wonder what exactly had happened during the mission that he had missed. "And two, he hates your eyes and hair," Gareki crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway with a laugh.

"What's wrong with my eyes and hair, you disrespectful little punk?" Akari exclaimed, leaning in toward Gareki.

"They're PINK!" Natsuno and Gareki both answered in unison.

"Don't worry, Natsuno, you'll get over that color soon enough," Gareki joked, "Our resident bitch is a giant blueberry."

"Don't let Kiichi-Chan catch you saying that about her," Akari warned, turning to leave the room. "Whatever, give the kid two days and he'll be back on his feet."

"No need to wait," Natsuno said, tossing the blankets aside and dragging himself out of the bed. He froze when his eyes landed on the sleeping Shiki on the guest chair next to him. "I've been here a while, I've not been able to open my eyes, but I've heard everything, every time he came darting in here to get away from you, Doctor," he said. "Has he been fed?"

"I promised you I'd make sure he was taken care of," Gareki assured him. "Akari-Sensei's only been teasing him, but it's been enough to make him react the same way Yogi does. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the 'good doctor' has a fetish for watching blonde men squirm."

"You've been spending too much time with Hirato," Akari scolded, "Don't make me start to dread your visits here as well, Gareki."

Natsuno rubbed his hand on his neck, he couldn't even feel where Megumi's teeth, or Tohru's for that matter had pierced his skin. "Did I dream that yesterday, or was there a point where the machines flat lined?"

Gareki and Akari both froze. "H-How do you know about that?" Akari asked.

"Wait a minute!?" Gareki suddenly realized, "Natsuno?"

Natsuno looked down at Tohru and ran a hand through the Shiki's silken blonde locks. "_Like I said, I'm not going anywhere without him,_" he thought.

Tohru stirred, the sun finally going down. Tohru blinked his eyes opened and looked up at Natsuno. "N-Natsuno~? You're awake?" he murmured, happily as he sat up. Gareki flinched, they hadn't even told Tohru about the incident, because Natsuno had only been legally dead for a half a minute before his vitals returned, and they had slowly been increasing until they became stable and normal since. Tohru flinched, when his eyes met Natsuno's, however. "N-Natsuno, your eyes?"

They looked human, still the beautiful purple orbs Tohru loved, but they were distinctly different. Natsuno sighed and nodded. Tohru's reaction had confirmed it. "Natsuno, you're…" Gareki started.

"A Jinrou?" Natsuno growled. "I'm well aware of that. The only person in this whole building who is any more or as equally dangerous is probably Yogi."

"Akari-Sensei, he's probably hungry, I suggest we get him something to eat, before he decides to make a meal out of us," Gareki suggested, dragging the dumbfounded pink-haired doctor out of the room.

Natsuno smiled at Tohru, once they were alone. He could see his Shiki was trembling. "It's alright, Tohru-Chan," Natsuno assured him, "It's better for both of us this way."

After Natsuno and Tohru were both fed and Natsuno had a chance to shower and change clothes, the two of them were brought aboard the Second Ship and introduced to Hirato, Iva, Karoku, and Akari's mentor Ryoushi. Shortly thereafter, they were joined by the crew of the First Ship; Tsukitachi, Jiki, and Kiichi, particularly. There was also a special, though unwelcome on Hirato's behalf visit from his older brother Tokitatsu. There had been something Akari had been meaning to tell them for a while. Now that all the important parties were present, he would be able to do just that.

"Isn't this great, Tohru-Chan?" Yogi giggled, wrapping his arms around the Shiki's shoulders from behind, "You guys get to stay with us!"

"We're not a couple of stray dogs you can just drag home to your parents and ask, 'Can we keep 'em,' you know," Natsuno scoffed, looking over his shoulder at the violet eyed blonde.

"Actually, Yogi and I were considering asking Hirato and Tokitatsu if they could work something out to send you guys to night classes at Kuronomei. Natsuno, you'd make a brilliant strategist," Gareki interjected.

Hirato raised an eyebrow. "Just because I pulled some strings for you, Gareki, do you really expect me to do the same to recruit your new friends here as members of Circus?"

"According to our records, they already are," Tokitatsu stated bluntly, "Just slightly older and under different names."

"What?" the others asked, looking up at Tokitatsu.

"Why else do you think Akari-Sensei invited me here in person?" the General chortled.

"I see," Hirato grumbled quietly to Tsukitachi, "So Akari's to blame for him being on my ship. I'll have to think of something extra devious to get back at him."

"According to the DNA and blood samples I've taken, except for a few obvious color differences in eyes and hair, Yogi and Tohru, and Natsuno and Gareki are the same people. If not for those differences, you boys could pass as twins. Though, due to the age differences, older and younger siblings would be more appropriate."

"Wait, isn't there some kind of theory that two of the same person from two different dimensions can't be in the same place at the same time," Gareki started.

"Or the entire universe or multiverse will either collapse or implode, or the two dimensions will merge or something like that?" Natsuno finished.

Natsuno and Gareki blinked at each other. Natsuno smirked, "Yeah, I never believed in the multiverse theory either."

"Well, you four have definitely proven that theory wrong. You spent two and a half weeks in the other universe, and another two here with nothing happening," Akari pointed out.

Hirato chuckled. "Gareki-Kun? First Tsubame-Chan, then Nai and Karoku, and now Natsuno-Kun, here… Why is it that every time you go on a major mission, you come back with a bigger and bigger family roster?"

Kiichi glanced at her side, taking notice that Tsukumo's face had been slowly turning redder and redder with every passing moment after Akari had announced his findings. "Ne, Tsukumo-Senpai? What's wrong?" she asked.

"Uh… Um, excuse me…" Tsukumo said quietly, turning to walk out of the room. The door slowly shut behind her and the entire room flinched as they heard a loud squeal emit from the other side.

"What… was that all about?" Hirato asked.

"There she goes again," Natsuno laughed.

"Honestly, I never pictured her for a Fujioshi," Gareki chortled.

Iva and Jiki blinked, "Tsukumo-Chan's a what?"

"I never would have guessed," Iva mumbled.

"Th-there's still hope for me yet," Jiki thought.

Hirato approached Natsuno and Tohru with a smile. "Well, then, under the circumstances, I think Tokitatsu and I can arrange something. So, how about it, Gentlemen?" He tipped his hat and bowed to them. "Would you like to become Children of Circus?"


End file.
